After several years of mid-week class at Bethany Lutheran Church I was ready to be confirmed. In the Lutheran church this is your first public confession of faith followed by your first communion. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and even my Godmother came from out of town for the ceremony. Although, this is an event few 15 year olds would forget, I remember this day for a very different reason. It was the first morning I can remember waking up from a dream that would later come true.
I came downstairs to find my mother and aunt setting the table for breakfast. I told my aunt that I had a dream she was pregnant and had a little girl. Her mouth dropped as she paused to look at my mother and then back at me. She told me that she was 5 ½ weeks pregnant and had not told anyone yet. I think I was as shocked as she was and yes, some eight months later my aunt welcomed a beautiful baby girl. And so it began, I would dream about ladies in my neighborhood, when they got pregnant and the sex of the baby before it was announced. For the longest time I only dreamed about babies and then it began to expand to other events that would later come to pass.
Certainly not every dream is a “God dream” and it has taken me some time to discern the difference. One thing that stands out is the vivid detail. Years later I cannot only can see them playing out like a movie in my head, but I feel the emotions all over again. I believe that God speaks in dreams for many reasons. For me, it was a sure fire way for Him to get past all my filters and walls of doubt so I could just hear Him. When I get into times where I really need to hear His voice and it’s not getting through my thick head in prayer I ask Him for a dream. I have just experienced such a time.
There have been several words lately about hard times to come in the next few years. These words are given so we have time to prepare. However, I began to go beyond basic preparation to worry. As I was trying to understand all the words and discern what was going to happen, I asked God for a dream and He gave me one, but not the kind I was expecting. That night I indeed dreamed about the future, about events that would take place and when I woke up I had only a moment to realize this before the details were taken from me. How odd? I could see myself in the dream, but had no idea what was happening around me and why. Then I realized what He was trying to say. “What happens and when it happens is not what is important.” I had been spending so much time worrying about specific scenarios and trying to prepare for them, I was focusing on the wrong thing entirely. Be prudent and prepare yes, but know that it is God that will sustain you. Storehouses can be filled with many things, but in this season I believe most importantly it needs to be filled with knowing Him. Knowing His character, His ways and His heart so that we can recognize Him. When things happen we will be able to discern, “This is my Father’s hand and I trust in His ways” or “This is not my Father and I will not be drawn into fear.”
One last thing…as I was pondering all of this, the parable of the 10 virgins came to mind. (Matthew 25:1-13) Although there are many lessons within this parable the one I specifically thought of was the lack of oil for the lamps. (Oil representing the presence of the Holy Spirit.) Half of the virgins were unable to keep their lamps lit because they lacked oil when the time came. For what good is a lamp if you cannot light it? Likewise, what good are we, if we cannot shine in the dark times? The darker it gets the greater the need for light. In this time of preparation don’t forget the oil.
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