I think the most common way people hear God is through dreams. However, it is essential to note that not all dreams come from God; sometimes, it is just the stress of the day getting mixed up in our souls and showing up in our sleep. So, let’s take a brief look at some dream types.
Simple Dreams
Some dreams are short and straightforward, while others are long and crazy! Matthew chapter 2 is an excellent example of an easy dream using a story most of us are familiar with: the birth of Jesus.
The magi came to worship Jesus, the newborn king. King Herod, who was in power, had a conversation with these men and told them that when they found the boy to return and tell him where he was. Herod did this under the guise of also wanting to worship the new king, but that wasn’t true. Instead, he sought to kill the child who threatened his kingdom. The magi didn’t realize it then, but in Matthew 2:12, they received a dream telling them not to return to Herod.
After the magi left, Joseph had a dream:
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” (Matt:2:13 WEB)
No interpretation is needed! When Herod discovered that the wise men skipped out on him, he ordered the death of all the boys under two years old.
Easy Symbolism
Some dreams are symbolic, but the symbolism is easy. The dream that almost got Joseph (son of Isaac) killed by his brothers is a great example:
Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?” 11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind. (Gen 37:5-11 WEB)
The two dreams are the same, with the second adding a little more detail. Joseph’s brothers understood that they would one day bow down to their little brother. In the second dream, his father realizes that the sun and moon are him and his wife, while the stars are his other sons.
Complicated Symbolic Dreams
The following dream is far more complicated:
Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river. Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. Behold, seven other cattle came up after them our of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river. The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time and behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharoah awoke, and behold, it was a dream. In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypyt’s magicians and wise men. Pharoah told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharoah. (Gen 41:1-8 WEB)
This dream is full of symbolist and worries Pharoah. What are the cows? Why are some fate and some skinny? Why did the skinny ones eat the fat ones? The dream concerning the grain was similar; the skinny overtook the healthy. Rulers had dream interpreters. They understood that dreams gave warnings and direction and Pharoah knew this was something he couldn’t ignore, but none of Pharoah’s men could interpret the dream. Another man told Pharoah about a Jewish man named Joseph, and Pharoah sent for him.
Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh. 26 The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one. 27 The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming. 30 Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous. 32 The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. (Gen 41: 25-32 WEB)
When you first read the dream, did you know what the interpretation was? Probably not. There is a lot of symbolism. If you read the entire chapter (and I highly encourage you to do so), you will see that Joseph told Pharaoh that he could not interpret the dream, but God could.
What To Do With Your Dreams
You’ve had a dream, so now what? My first suggestion is to write it down in a journal, notebook, or word document. You could also use a voice recorder if you’re sure you won’t accidentally delete it! Dreams can take weeks or longer before they are fully understood. Writing it down allows you to reread them and focus on specific aspects. Don’t skip the details! Details can be meaningful even when they seem very small. How to interpret dreams will be discussed in depth in later blogs and videos, but in the meantime, write them down!
Until next time under the palm, be blessed!
