(by Lorie Codispoti)
I’ve known people who have such vividly detailed dreams that their recall reads like an adventurous tale in a storybook, complete with detailed and colorful illustrations.
When I was younger I had a lot of nightmares. I’ve also had a few recurring dreams over the years. But, these days most of my dreaming is lucid and nonsensical. Add that to my current medication - that comes with its very own dream notice - and you’ve got a woman who wakes up feeling incredibly thankful that there is no replay button on the fragmented craziness that just ran through her head.
Dreams can be mysterious and confusing.
My favorite movie line about dreaming comes from a medieval fairytale, where a young man has just witnessed something unbelievable, and in his confusion he says, “Maybe I'm dreaming. My eyes are open, which means maybe I'm awake dreaming that I'm asleep. Or, or more likely, I'm asleep dreaming that I'm awake wondering if I'm dreaming.”
The capricious nature of dreams have fascinated people for thousands of years. The interest to understand them better can be linked to various scientific and psychological fields of study.
The Bible records 21 dreams. (Not to be confused with visions.) Incidentally, only one of the dreamers is a woman, and her dream is a nightmare. (Go figure!) If you do a study on the biblical dreams you will find that each one comes with a clear interpretation. God made sure of that. Some of the dreams are obviously confusing, but not a one of them leaves any doubt as to what they mean.
Do you think we should seek to interpret our dreams?
Many charlatans have set up shop and taken advantage of people desperate to understand what’s behind some of the dreams that plague them. The exploitation of curious dreamers is big business. The practice of dream interpretation is heavily rooted in the occult, and we should be wary of practices that entice us to explore beyond biblical boundaries. It’s part of the indwelling Holy Spirit’s job to help us discern God’s instructions. So if God wants to communicate to us through a dream (which He certainly can and does do), then the interpretation will be clear, direct, and straightforward.
I recently read about a Christian that was troubled by something his late mother left unfinished. He records a dream visitation he had with her, where she instructed him. Another article suggested placing an item from a deceased loved one under your pillow in order to interact with them in your dreams. This, along with idea that we can use a Christian dream dictionary (Yes, there is such a publication.) - making note of the symbols and spiritual connections we have within a dream to analyze and determine the message God wants to communicate to us - is dangerous territory. Besides that, this whole process of interpretation is completely subjective, which makes it very difficult to “test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1Jn.4:1).
Why do we need to spend so many of our waking hours trying to figure out what God might be trying to tell us, when His objective word leaves no doubt as to His message?
God may use a dream to inspire us, guide us, encourage us, convict us, or even warn us of some kind of danger. However, we need to be careful not to over emphasize dreaming as a means of seeking and hearing from God. Prioritizing this method of interpretation is not wise. God has given us His word as His primary means of communication. If you want to hear from God, open and read your bible. He speaks through it every time.
Allen Parr (The Beat) suggests five things to consider when questioning dreams:
1. No scripture suggests that God has stopped speaking to us through dreams. (Joel 2:28)
2. In our day, the most common way God speaks to us is through His word - Jesus is the word. (Heb.1:1-2)
3. God is not the Author of confusion (1Cor.14:33), and will always make the meaning clear. (Ex: Matt.1:20-21)
4. For various reasons, not every dream is meant to be shared. (Ex: Gen.37:5)
5. There are serious consequences for misrepresenting God when interpreting dreams that effect others’ lives. (Deut.13:1,5)
(If you're interested, here's his entire video teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWUyWXLpqHA)
So, with all of this in mind, perhaps the dream I had the other night - about smuggling bibles into the black zone, while riding on a flying bar of soap - would be better suited as a tale for my grandchildren, rather than a message from God that I need to spend time trying to decipher.
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