Dream On!

Daily Reading: Matthew 2

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph. (Matthew 2.19)

Devotional Thought: Three times in Matthew 2, and once in chapter 1, we read how God communicated to Joseph in dreams.

Has God ever spoken to you in your dreams?  I must admit that it has been rare for me.  It is also rare in the New Testament, but we tend to remember these incidents and think of them as normal.  Two things can happen when we elevate the importance of dreams.  Both reactions are harmful to our Christian experience:

·       When we don't have those kinds of dreams, we fear that something is wrong with us.  I would remind you, however, that you have something much more reliable than dreams: the Word of God.  “We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1.19).  We need to pay attention to the Bible.  God is speaking to us every day in its pages! 

·       We find meaning in dreams that are simply dreams.  Remember what Paul wrote to Timothy: “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4.3-4).  Often, our dreams are like “teachers to suit our own passions.”  They speak to us from our personal experiences and desires.  As such, they are not reliable guides to truth.

God’s speaking in dreams is a rare occurrence in the Bible and in present life as well.  But, if God really wants to speak to you in a dream, you will know it.  There is no need to manufacture those moments.

Prayer: I have fixed my eyes upon you and your Word, O Lord!  Help me to recognize your voice, for I am your sheep!  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 87.1-7

1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah

4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—“This one was born there, ” they say.

5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.

6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there. ”Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”