12/04/2021
Have you ever dreamed that you had done something, and your dream seemed so real that when you woke up you started your day fully convinced that whatever you had dreamed had actually occurred? Then, when you realized that it was just a dream you were shocked, and disappointed? Dreams are amazing, some are frightening, some enlightening, and others bizarre, but occasionally we receive one that we are convinced is from God, and dreams such as this, the ones we not only think are true, but are convinced have significance beyond a night’s fantasy, can be life altering. Some dreams bridge the ether of spiritual thought to become physical reality, and these are like an answered prayer or a divine directive. Dreams such as this are rare, but they can change the course of lives, and sometimes history.
“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he [God] said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;”
Genesis 15:12-13 KJV
Last night I dreamed that I was writing today’s devotional message, and it seemed so real to me that when I woke up and found it unwritten, I was greatly disappointed. So I tossed for a bit, and finally went back to sleep. As I slept again, I dreamed the same dream once more, but this time it was even more real to me than the first. I woke up, and checked my iPhone, fully expecting the devotional message to be completed, but it was not there. So I asked the Lord what He was trying to tell me, and there was only silence… I then asked Him what He would have me write this morning, and you are reading the answer I received from the Holy Spirit… I was to write of Godly dreams, and the reality of them… even to the point that God will make covenant with dreamers within them.
“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:”
Genesis 15:18 KJV
This message today is not what I wrote twice in my dreams. What I wrote while dreaming was a significant accounting of all the messages I had been given. Other than the fact that it was written in a dream, there is no similarity between it, and this one. Abram’s dream is the first one we read about in scripture, and it didn’t need a second repetition, or an interpretation, but some of those that follow in scripture will appear mysterious, and require an interpreter.
“And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:”
Genesis 40:8, 12 KJV
In this example, Joseph interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s chief butler, and cook, but what is significant to us today is not those particular interpretations, but what Joseph had to say about the actual interpretation of all prayers… this belongs to God. Real spiritual dreams are more than novelties, fantasy, or the work of an overactive imagination, and if they are not spoken directly to us, and given without any need for interpretation, like Abram’s was, then how we seek to interpret them requires much care, prayer, and the work of someone chosen by God… as Joseph had been.
Two years later the Pharaoh himself had a dream but he went about determining the meaning of his dream differently…
“And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.”
Genesis 41:8 KJV
So, although most of our dreams have to do with late night indigestion, or a troubled mind, and are physical in origin, on occasion we receive a supernatural prayer of Godly origin. When we dream spiritual dreams they are a lot like those of Abram, and the Pharaoh’s … some are given quite directly, and others require interpretation. The first thing we need to understand is whether our dream is actually spiritual in nature, or just a spicy slice of late night pizza. We will often need to seek council in this as Samuel did from Eli, but eventually we will grow to know God’s voice…
“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.”
1 Samuel 3:7-9 KJV
Having determined who is calling we then know whether to roll over and go back to sleep, or that we need to answer…
“And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
1 Samuel 3:10 KJV
Like my dreams last night, and Samuel’s calling, the Lord often convinces us it is Him by repetition… a reoccurring dream, or by calling out to us more than once. Then it is incumbent upon us to answer as Samuel did, “Speak; for thy servant hearers.”, and if we don’t understand then we must seek out council… a God provided interpreter.
“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.”
Genesis 41:14-15 KJV
So if we dream, and we know with certainty it is of God, then we need to pay attention, perhaps we are to seek its interpreted meaning, but always it is expected that we take obedient action. Perhaps you will fill your storehouses as the Pharaoh did, or write a devotional as I have, but on occasion it could be that a covenant is being made with you, and history is being made, as it was through Abram.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for speaking to us through dreams, and revealing the truth of those dreams through interpreters, and witnesses. Thank you lord for owning the words you speak whether they are given plainly or revealed through your chosen one. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is with us always, and who speaks to us through answered prayer, visions, audible voice, the wind, and on occasion through our dreams. Praised be your name for every dream in which we hear, see, and feel, you. Merciful are you who blesses us, warns us, and sends us to do your will from the depths of our slumber. Help us to not be afraid, recognize your voice, and answer you each time you call. Lead us from our beds as changed men and women who are your faithful servants. Send us forth with your messages, or to faithfully do your bidding. Open our eyes, and wipe the sleep from them so that we can clearly see you, and obey. This is the day that you have made, and from the divine dreams of our nightly communion, and conversation, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
“For God speaketh once, Yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.”
Job 33:14-18 KJV
Rich Forbes