Dreams

One of the interesting things about the Bible, the Old Testament in particular, is that God often chose to speak to people through dreams.  Personally, I don’t believe God speaks to us through dreams today in the sense of revealing things.  Revelatory dreams in the Bible took place as God’s Word was unfolding.  Now we have it as a finished product, and it’s all we need.  And while I’m no expert on dreams, I believe they are, for the most part, subconscious thoughts that reach the conscious level when we are asleep.  I’ve read that dreams are usually a projection of fears, anxieties, tensions, hopes, ambitions, etc.  One of my favorite authors and preachers, John MacArthur, has written that it may be possible that you have a dream connected to a specific passage of scripture because that’s what you’re studying.  He goes on to say, “The Spirit of God might even prompt you to think a certain way in a dream.  I know some people have had very fearful dreams and it has driven them to know Christ.”  I guess the bottom line is that God may use something like a dream to accomplish His purpose but not as vehicles for some new revelation.    

Some people wake up with a vivid memory of their dreams.  That’s the way my daughter Tricia is.  When she has a dream she can (and will) tell you all the details.  Me, on the other hand, I have dreams, but I have a hard time remembering more than bits and pieces.  But here’s something interesting.  Recently I have had several dreams in which my children (26 and 22) are young again.  I don’t really remember anything significant about the dreams but my children are there, and  it’s like I’ve stepped back into time. 

Now, I like seeing them that way.  Andrew has a little round face, and Tricia has that curly blond hair.  But I’m not sure what, if anything, this means.  Maybe it’s because we’re about to get a new baby in our family and that has been a big part of my thoughts and prayers.  And while I have had many questions about her as we anticipate her arrival there are, I know two things for sure.  First, she will never be wanting for love.  Second, she will be special.    

When my children were young, I chose a special Psalm for each of them, and I read those Psalms as a prayer for their lives.  For my son, I chose Psalm 112.  It begins like this: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.  His children will be mighty in the land…”  That word “mighty” in the Hebrew language basically means “honored” and “distinguished.”  The idea is honored and distinguished for their virtue, their influence, and their success in life.  Those are some big words and big thoughts for such a little baby and while I don’t know exactly how those things will unfold for little Grace, I genuinely believe God will make them true.   

Maybe I’ve been seeing/remembering my children when they were very small in my dreams as a way to be reminded that God holds little lives in the palm of His hand.  I see their tiny faces then, think about them now, and know that God has always been in charge of their lives just like He will be in charge of Grace’s life.  In the end I’m thankful for those dreams, those memories and that reminder. 

When Andrew and Tricia were young, people would always say, “Enjoy every minute, because they grow up too fast.”  They were right.  Now that baby Grace is on the way, people always say, “There’s nothing like being a grandparent.”  I’m very confident that they’ll be right once again. 

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris