In the Middle of the Night

Have you ever woken up from what should have been a restful night of sleep only to find yourself exhausted, confused, and full of fear, horror, and distress (Job 4:13)?

The culprit is a nightmare that has occurred during your time of unconsciousness resting. The pieces of this horrific vision that you can recall have left you needing comfort from God (or someone close by), hoping this never happens to you, and happy you are finally awake (never wanting to think about it again). (In contrast, a pleasant dream can leave you well-rested, happy, and energized to take on life the next morning.)

If you have ever experienced any kind of dream (good or bad), you’re in good company. The Bible is full of normal people who God communicated to through this very unique medium of communication. (Maybe you’ll recognize some of your favorites.)

With each individual below, I have incorporated the scripture passage (and italicized it) below where their dream experience is found so you can investigate it for yourself.

1.  In Genesis 20, King Abimelech is promised death by God for unknowingly taking a married woman (Abraham’s Sarah) as his bride.

2.  (As a side note in Genesis 26, King Abimelech repeats a similar scenario with Abraham and Sarah’s son and daughter-in-law, Isaac and Rebekah. I guess some people never learn.)

3.  In Genesis 28:10-20, Jacob is given a vision of a Heavenly stairway (or ladder) at Bethel, where he is given assurance of God’s safety and provisions.

4.  In Genesis 31, Laban is told by God that it is time to cut the parental “apron strings” loose, and let his daughters, his grandchildren, and son-in-law live independently on their own. (His son-in-law had made Laban financially successful.)

5.  Joseph, the son of Jacob, has a life full of dreams. The interpretation of his dreams, promise a life of prominence (in saving Egypt financially) and life (and death for others). He took the hard route to God’s road of success. Check out Genesis 37:5-11, and 40-41.

6.  In 1 Kings 3:5-15, King Solomon asks for wisdom from God in ruling over the nation of Israel.

7.  In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a large statue (of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay) that Daniel interprets as the four kingdoms (Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman) that would dominate as world powers. (Note, Daniel was scared to deliver this message to the king as recorded in Daniel 4:19)

8.  King Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream interpreted by Daniel (in Daniel 4) involves a large, strong fruit tree being chopped down. This symbolized the king losing his sanity (and living like an animal) for a period of time.

9.  The wise men (from the Christmas story), who came to honor the Christ child with their gifts, were told to take another route home (in essence) to protect Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. (Matthew 2:9-12)  

10.             Dreams played an important role in Joseph’s life, the earthly father of Jesus. They helped to protect his young Son several times from harm.  (Matthew 1:18-24, 2:19-23)

11.             When I have not listened to my wife, Bobbi, things usually go horribly wrong rather quickly. In Matthew 27:19, Pilate got a message from his wife (who had a dream) that he should have nothing to do with Jesus’ crucifixion.

Things would have turned out much better for his historical reputation as Jesus murder if he had just listened to his wife.

He couldn’t have had any idea that he was unsuccessfully trying to put the Son of God to death (Matthew 28).

Please note, that Jesus willingly chose to die for you. He was not forced to. He could have prevented His crucifixion (Matthew 26:53). You are of prime importance to Him (John 3:16-17).

I’ve always admired people that can put their dreams (or visions) into a way to positively aid others. A psychic detective is someone who assists police in solving crimes (and hopefully offering the victim’s family resolution) in discovering the victim’s location or physical condition with their paranormal psychic abilities through a variety of methods.

Though some may disagree with me, I truly believe this profession can be applied to Joel 2:28 (NLV). “I will pour out My Spirit upon all people; [they] will prophesy, dream [during slumber] …and see visions.”

If you dream when you sleep at night, but you also want to reach the dreams your heart that God has set for you, the choruses of the two songs below might provide you with some needed inspiration to step out into the great beyond, and achieve what you were born to do.

The Martins’ Dream Big

Dream big
It's the Lord's desire for you to
Dream big
In everything you say and do
You'll see your greatest dream
come true
'Cause all of Heaven is dreaming big
for you

Michelle Tumes’ Dream

There's a dream in your heart
And His heart is your prayer
You can move mountains with your life in His hands
He'll tear down the walls and He'll walk where you can't
Have faith in the power to believe
He's given you a dream

*This post was inspired by my daughter’s curiosity on this topic. (She is at home with us now in Gahanna, OH.)