“God, Dreams and Visions” Joel 2:28-29

For almost as long as there have been people, there have been attempts to try to interpret and understand dreams. Across all cultures, there are those who have claimed a special awareness of how to interpret not just dreams, but the wishes of the gods they worshipped. There is a cottage industry in our society with people who claim they can interpret dreams and reveal the “fates” regarding our lives.

Dreams and visions have always had a part in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. From Jacob and his struggle with God through John’s vision that became the book of the Revelation, we have had dreams and visions given by God to show us His will.

Over 20 years ago, I had a dream about a former pastor. It was a very strange dream, and I thought it was odd when I awoke. I didn’t think anything more about it, until about a month later I heard he had done something that seemed totally out of character for him that caused turmoil in his life, his family and his church. I shared with a friend shortly afterward that I had had that dream. My friend’s response is that God speaks to us through dreams, and I should have contacted my former pastor.

Since that time, I’ve had other dreams about a specific person, and the dreams came out of nowhere. In some of the cases, I have contacted the person and let them know that I had the dream and wanted to know if things are okay with them. It doesn’t happen a lot, but when it does happen, I try to reach out.

I have told some of you about a series of dreams I’ve had recently, about the possibility of going to another church. I am not seeking to go anywhere. I do not want to go anywhere. I am happy here. I’ve told God that I’ll only leave if He shows me a burning bush. So far, no burning bushes, just four dreams over the past couple of years.

I don’t know what these dreams mean, but I have been trying to discern more about God’s use of dreams and visions and how it fits in with our daily lives.

Central Truth: God speaks to us today. We must learn how to listen.

Does God Speak in Dreams and Visions Today?

The book of Joel is written as a warning to Israel. The first chapter speaks of a horrible plague of locust that have eaten just about everything in Israel. Chapter 2 is the warning of a second, more devastating swarm to come, unless Israel repents and returns to God. The second part of the chapter speaks of what will happen if and when Israel repents. God promises to restore the fortunes of the nation and bring them back to where they were before the first swarm. The words we read this morning are included in a promise of God’s blessings and warning of judgment to come to the world.

When the Holy Spirit descended and filled the believers in the house in Jerusalem, Peter quoted from Joel as evidence of the Spirit coming into our world. He tied the Spirit in to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and calls for repentance.

There are those who say, with the completion of the Bible, God no longer uses dreams and visions to speak to His people. I disagree, but I also look at the dreams and visions of the Bible and realize that God may use dreams and visions, but He is very specific in them to tell the dreamer or the one seeing the vision what He expects.

God spoke to Joseph through dreams telling him to marry Mary and why, telling them to flee to Egypt and when to return home. God even told Joseph through a dream to move to Nazareth (cf. Matthew 1-2).

God spoke very specifically to Cornelius in a vision, telling him to send messengers to Joppa and find Simon, called Peter, staying with Simon the tanner (cf. Acts 10:1-8). God then sent Peter a vision while Peter was in a trance to show Peter that what God creates is not unclean. This was done to prepare Peter to go with the messengers to Cornelius.

The road to Damascus incident in the life of Paul was a vision, and a vision was also sent to Ananias to minister to Paul (cf. Acts 9:10-16). And God used a vision to tell Paul to travel to Europe and share the Gospel (cf. Acts 16:6-10).

In every vision, God was very specific in what He wanted and what He expected. The only exception is John’s vision recorded in the Revelation. The Revelation is a complex, symbolic vision that has caused centuries of dispute and interpretation. Even then, the theme of the vision is Christ’s victory over Satan and eternal rest for God’s people.

The point is that when God speaks to us through dreams, He has the tendency to be specific in the dream. Does that mean that dreams such I have had are not from God? Not necessarily. He has used the dreams I have had about other people to minister to them. And he has used the dreams about a possible move to at least make me open to His voice. Again, I don’t want to leave, am not looking to leave. I’ve told God that He has an uphill battle to moving me, but that He is God and He can do anything. So I have placed myself in His hands, asking Him to use me while at Mosheim and, if the time should come for us to move, that He give me clear direction and prepare both Kim and me for the move.

Bottom line, I believe God speaks to us through dreams and visions today. He may not always be specific in the dreams and visions, but He provides us other guidance to lead us in that matter.

How Else Does God Speak to Us?

Which leads to the question of how else does God speak to us?

I think God most clearly speaks to us through prayer and the Bible, and I believe it must be hand-in-hand. It’s dangerous to sense that God is speaking to us in prayer and act on that without having a Scriptural basis for that message. By the same token, it can be a horrible mistake to “interpret” Scripture without the clear guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I’ve shared with you before that God has spoken to me several times when I was praying. His voice sounded very similar to mine, only it was completely contradictory to my line of prayer, and it was complete unexpected. The first time God spoke to me in prayer was the day I was saved. He also spoke to me when I was praying for my mother’s healing. In both instances, God pointed out the waywardness of my thinking, and I altered my thoughts to fit His. He spoke to me the night I learned my dad had died, reminding me of His Scriptural promise to always be with us (cf. Matthew 28:20).

When God has spoken to me, it is usually to bring to my mind a verse or passage of the Bible. The Bible is important in discerning God’s will, because God will never contradict Himself. Suppose I have a dream or am praying and sense God is leading me in a particular direction. As I study the Bible, I’ll be looking at passages that speak to the matter I am considering. If the Bible is not in agreement with what I am sensing, then I need to re-examine my thought process, and return to God in prayer. If the Bible refutes what I am thinking of doing, then I need to stop in my tracks and be certain of God’s direction.

How do we respond?

When we sense God is leading us, we may not have a clear vision as did Cornelius, or Joseph or Paul. We may have a vague idea of God’s leading. What do we do then?

First, we pray about it. We talk to God, placing ourselves under His direction. Be open and honest with God—remember, He knows us better than we know ourselves. Take my thing about a possible move. After the first dream, I told God that I am His servant and I will go where He bids me go, but that I thought He needed to be aware of a few things. I reminded Him of my age, and how churches are looking for pastors in their 30’s or early 40’s. I reminded Him I was perfectly happy at Mosheim, and had no desire to move. I reminded Him that He would have to get Kim to go along with this whole idea, and I reminded Him that I like living in the Waco area. I told Him I would go where He wants me to go, but He’s going to have to make it happen.

As we continue to pray about the matter, we need to wait on Him, but we also need to continue to live out our lives doing what we are currently doing. It would have been foolish of me to resign here, sell our house and move to a different town. So I continue to seek God’s direction in relation to our church and to show me the paths I am to take in decision making for our future plans.

And we need to be open to what God is doing in our lives. Continue to speak to God about what’s going on, listening to Him, asking Him what, if any, steps He wants us to take.

Conclusion

Our God is an awesome God, and He is not one to leave us in the dark. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” He gives us the light of His Son, and He gives us the guidance we need through His Holy Spirit.

Granted, God doesn’t communicate with us in the way you and I communicate. There are no texts or emails, no concrete conversations. But God does show us His will. We must be willing to listen with open hearts and ears, and we must learn to place ourselves always at His disposal. Letting Him live through us brings glory and honor to Him.