God Speaks Through Visions
“It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)
This is probably one of the most quoted scriptures about the last days. The Spirit of God will speak through many means, one of them being visions.
Visions vs. Dreams
Visions are like a waking dream. It may seem like a daydream, but daydreams are our own images. We may be zoning out in class, church, or while waiting for an appointment. Our mind’s eye either replays images of the past that we may be thinking about or images of what we plan on doing in the future. Visions look like that but they are not coming from our imagination. A simple, easy-to-understand vision is found in Acts 9:7 where Saul is about to become Paul. He has been knocked off his horse and blinded and God is looking for someone to restore his vision:
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
He said, “Behold, it’s me, Lord.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.” (Acts 9:7 WEB)
The Bible doesn’t tell of Saul’s vision of Ananias, but the Lord told Ananias that Saul is expecting him. The directions are clear and simple and although Ananias was hesitant at first, he did what the Lord asked and found Saul in a house on Straight Street.
The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. Beginning with chapter four says that John was “caught up in the Spirit.” That is generally thought of as a vision. The description of his vision goes on for the next seventeen chapters. That is one long vision!
Vision vs. Night Vision
Night visions occur in that weird space called twilight. That’s where we aren’t quite awake, and yet we aren’t quite asleep. Visions that take place at this time tend to be more direct with less interpretation needed. Night visions often have a hearing aspect associated with them. In Acts 16:9 Paul had a night vision:
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (WEB)
Night visions tend to be more direct with less interpretation needed. Dreams are usually filled with symbolism and take time to understand.
Now What?
If you’ve had a vision or a night vision, the best thing to do is write it down. Even if the revelation is easily understood, having a good record to look back on is helpful. Often, the Lord will paint a picture over the course of days, weeks, or months. You may think you’ll remember it in the future, but other dreams and visions will come along, and life will get busy. You will forget all that God has spoken. Keeping a record will allow you to go back and put all the pieces together to get a clear picture.
I always think I’ll remember – and then I don’t! It’s frustrating, so be sure to write things down.
Until next time under the palm, be blessed!
