This subject definitely relates to all of us since everyone has had at least one dream or nightmare. A dream is defined as a succession of images or ideas present in the mind during sleep. Of course there is also people who daydream voluntarily while awake. I'm dealing with the dreams we have when we sleep and I first want to say that the Bible has THREE characteristics that dreams can fall under. Before I share with you the three main points, I must give you a word of caution.
We must beware of listening to people who claim they have had a dream and tell you to do this and that which may be contrary to God's Word. God will allow this to happen to you to test if you will still trust God or that person (read Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and Jeremiah 29:8-9 for further information. Very interesting!) Now, to the first kind of dream you can have:
1. GOD SPEAKING TO MAN
Dreams are one of the ways God can speak to someone. This can often happen to people who are filled with pride or easily distracted in the things of life. Why do I say this? Because Job 33:14-17 says, "For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man."
So if you read that verse carefully, God chooses to speak to some people in dreams because when a man is asleep his pride and purposes are laid aside. God then can speak directly to the soul in a dream because the person is not consciously fighting against the message. A proud person usually resists God when they are awake, so the Lord usually sends them a message at a time when resistance is down. There are a few examples of God doing this in the Bible.
He gave a dream to Abimelech (Genesis 20:3-6) warning him of the woman he had a thing for was Abram's wife. God gave Jacob a dream showing the promised land was going to be given to his descendants (Genesis 28:12-13). Jacob was also protected from Laban attacking him because God gave Laban a dream to do Jacob no harm (Genesis 31:24). We must not forget Joseph in Genesis 40 concerning the dreams he had and Genesis 41 of the dreams his fellow inmates had and how he interpreted them. If you think you had a weird dream, then you and Gideon have have something in common (Judges 7:13-15).
Also there is the wife of Pontius Pilate who was troubled by a dream she had about Jesus while He was waiting to hear Pilate's verdict (Matthew 27:19). There are more characters and situations I can share, but I must move on. I must say when God gives a dream like this, it usually is to get someone to go in the right direction concerning their personal life.
2. A MULTITUDE OF BUSINESS
The second type of dream comes from what the Bible calls a 'multitude of business' (Ecclesiastes 5:3). This usually happens when someone is very preoccupied with the pressures of work, school, or other matters of life that involve a lot of stress. I worked in the textile industry for over 13 years and I worked in different departments that had different responsibilities. I remember when I worked my first week that I dreamed one time about running late for work and I was driving fast to get there. The company I worked for had a strict point system in which if you missed 3 days in month, you were fired (no write ups or anything like that).
While I was driving I had a flat tire and the next thing I remember in the dream was me changing the tire but I put a huge spindle of yarn instead of a tire. I worked a lot of overtime that week and I don't recall ever dreaming like that when I didn't work overtime. If you want to have some sweet dreams before you go to bed, read and meditate on these two verses (Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:8).
3. UNRESOLVED EMOTIONS AND DESIRES OF THE FLESH
These kind of dreams are the ones that occur over periods of time and they point to something unresolved in your past that affects you today. In counseling women who have been molested or raped, they usually tell me about a dream they have of someone breaking into their house or something of that nature. The Bible in a symbolic way defines a house (or a temple) as our own bodies (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19) and if someone is invading a house then that can usually describe sexual invasion of someone. This is most likely the case when the person who dreams this is tormented in the dream which constitutes a nightmare.
Unresolved emotion and desire of the flesh in the dream world is described in Isaiah 29:8 which says, "It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion." So we see that some dreams originate from passions or emotions that have not been satisfied in reality. I also think about Job who had nightmares that caused him to not sleep well (Job 7:13-16).
It's very important to realize that sleep deprivation can lead to various health issues whether it be psychological or physical. If you have constant nightmares, it's usually due to not confronting a tragedy or something crucial that happened in your life in reality. It's important to share all the details of what happened to someone you can trust. On that note, are there any dreams you'd like to share and analyze biblically? Feel free to send them to me on this profile. God bless you and may He grant you sweet dreams!
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