Dreams are historical vehicles for the revelation of God. God would impart knowledge of future events and impending dangers to His people through them. In this week’s post, we will discuss why God gives dreams to His people. We know from the scriptures that dreams are a common occurrence among the people of the Lord. We can also benefit from them today. In the Old Testament God used dreams for various reasons. To understand their roles in the lives of Christians, we will consider 6 reasons God gives them.
1. Reveal God and His purpose. Dreams were given to bring men into a greater understanding of God and His activities in the earth. His primary modes of communication to His people were dreams and visions.
And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6)
2. Warn His servants of impending danger. Dreams and visions provided warning and protection to the servants of the Lord. When they faced dangers or even God’s judgment, God would warn them through these modes of revelation. This is what the Lord did for Abimelech.
3. Establish Covenant and Relationship with His Servants. God established His covenant with Abraham and his descendants through dreams and visions. He revealed to them what He would do for them if they walk before Him in righteousness. Consider Abraham:
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1).
4. Foretell Future World and Natural Events. God used dreams to reveal future famines and kingdoms. These were done to establish His sovereignty over all the earth. He revealed to Nebuchadnezzar the future of his kingdom.
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass (Daniel 2:28-29).
5. Reveal Future Ministries of His Servants. God revealed to Joseph his future ministry and leadership through dreams. He had these dreams approximately thirteen years before their fulfillment.
And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. He dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. (Genesis 37:6, 7, 9)
6. Encourage His Servants in Difficult Times. God used dreams and visions to encourage His servants. He gave Jacob a dream to comfort him during his stay with Laban.
And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee (Genesis 31:10-12).
Dreams and visions were a common occurrence since the beginning. They served many purposes. Trust that God still uses them today in the lives of Christians. Well, there you have it. Until next time, remain faithful to Christ who is able to do all things.
Though it is a contested subject, the Christian can trust that God still speaks to personally to His people. The Bible is full of many instances of God speaking in different ways. No one way is better than the other. God operates in variety. Therefore, He uses numerous ways to bring His word to us. He does this to comfort, correct, and encourage in our walk with Him. In the Bible, we find that God uses different means to bring His words to His people. Here is 5 (among many).
