When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. Matthew 1:24
There’s dreams and there’s nightmares. Then there are dreams and there are nightmares. If you know, you know.
I love dreams with happy endings. Or ones where I can fly, or run lickety-split. Or the ones where all my dreams come true. Rainbows and lollipops. All is well.
Or dreams where life is just good – no major revelations or epiphanies, but a general sense of well-being. You wake up feeling great with a boost for the new day.
I don’t always remember these dreams but I have an overarching remembrance of sleeping peacefully in dreamland.
And then there are the nightmares. Or the dreams which go south through a series of events. You could be woken up in the middle of one, or in the middle of the night, out of breath and shaking. Your whole body is in fight or flight mode and adrenaline is pumping.
At times, I wake my husband up to share in the immediate emotion of a frightening dream, or I pray as I calm my nerves to get back to sleep and pray for a new road to walk in dream land.
Then there are the nightmares which are horrifying. I’ve had a few in my day, and they are better left in the recesses of my mind.
As a child and well into my adult years, my biggest horrifying dream was being trapped in an elevator which would suddenly drop at a screeching speed.
As a side note: Whoever came up with Garden of the Galaxies ride at Disneyland is insane. Or maybe it’s me – I went on that ride. Twice. Once when it was the Twilight Zone and the second as the Garden. I was terrified. It was the awfullest feeling ever. I was trapped and was living my nightmare. If you know me, I am a little germ-sensitive but after that ride I was very tempted to kiss the ground. I will never go on it again. Never. Ever.
I'M DREAMING OF A ....
I’ve had dreams in which God speaks. And those dreams are not forgotten – much like the ones Joseph had in the various Christmas accounts given to us in the gospels. Joseph was visited multiple times in dreams and he obeyed each time.
I
n Matthew 1, he was visited by the angel of the Lord. Many scholars believe the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ, so Joseph was visited by Jesus Himself. And Jesus was talking to Joseph about taking Mary as his wife – it was alright, because it was the Lord’s doing and part of God’s plan.
Joseph had gone to bed troubled; he woke up obedient.
Has that ever happened to you? Something is heavy on your heart and sleep does not come easily, but you do succumb, thankfully. You wake up refreshed, as if you had been visited by Jesus because His peace left a trail, or foot print, if you will.
Many dreams are recorded for us in Scripture – Joseph in the Old Testament, for example. Or King Nebuchadnezzar with Daniel. The Magi, in the New, were warned in a dream after visiting the young Jesus.
In modern times, there have been many people sharing about God speaking to them in dreams and visions – especially in countries where Christianity is forbidden.
God does use dreams to get His message to His people.
Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart. Psalm 95:7b-8a.
God may speak to you in a dream, audible voice, through Scripture, or even through another person – listen to Him. God loves to have a relationship with His people and He loves to talk with us.
Do you love to be in the throne room with Him up on His lap? It’s where we have complete access and we as believers have the right to be there – it’s our inheritance. Because we are covered in the blood of Jesus, the Messiah, we can be with God in His presence, in His Throne Room.
Let’s do it.
Let’s run to the Throne Room. Let’s listen when God speaks – however He chooses to. And not only listen, but obey.
Are you in?
PRAYER
Father God, thank You for speaking and for speaking to us. May I listen when You speak and may I obey. You are amazing, wonderful, awesome, beautiful. I want more of You and I am here to listen and to obey. Please speak, LORD. I am listening. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN
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