Dreams

I know that not everyone will agree with this, but I am of the opinion that God can speak to us in a variety of ways and still speaks to us today. I DON'T think He's revealing new things about Himself and that we should go hog wild in our behaviors and experimentation as to how we can connect with God. Rather, I think we still need to look at scriptures to see how God communicated in the past and not expect that He is going to start appearing to us in pieces of cloth, or grilled cheese sandwiches, or as a large African American woman baking in a kitchen in a shack in the woods, or through magical portals. (But I digress...)

One way that I DO believe God still speaks to His people is through dreams but even then I would say that such dreams needed to be examined, tested and tried before they are just declared to be "from God."

That said, there have been a few occasions where I've had dreams that I've submitted to the spiritual authorities in my life for examination. These dreams have been inspiring and encouraging. I wouldn't add them to the canons of scripture or anything like that. Rather, they've merely been a gift of encouragement to me during some significant rough spots in my life journey, reminding me of scriptural truths. The following was one such dream which I offer up as encouragement to you because I think it can be that, as a good story could be. Not a scriptural truth but representing one all the same.

The following dream reminds me of these verses:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-11

With all of my above disclaimers, and shared with the knowledge that God shares His attributes with me through stories...without further ado....

My Dream (March 2007):

I wanted to go on an adventure so an Adventure Guide was assigned to me. He had a khaki outfit on it, complete with vest, etc. He told me we were going to go on an adventure on the ocean. I agreed to go. He helped me aboard a raft. The raft was completely flat and was made out of a solid piece of material. It wasn't made of wood like you'd normally think of - but was more of a metal looking thing -- completely flat with a slick surface.

My Adventure Guide (that was his official title in my dream) talked to me while the raft was led out to sea. I noticed that the raft was attached to a boat. The boat was pulling the raft. I didn't take note of who was in the boat or anything of it. I was focused on the raft. We traveled out to sea whereupon the sky grew very dark and a storm overtook us. The waves got higher and the wind blew harder. It was a picture like you'd see on a movie where the storm comes in the night and the only light is provided by a reflection of the moon on the water.

I asked the Guide if we were going to go back to port. I told him I wanted the adventure to be over. He said we had to ride out the storm. In the meantime, the raft did a complete flip over, like a capsizing. I came back out standing on top of the raft, holding the Adventure Guide's hand but I was sopping wet and scared of the storm. I yelled at my Adventure Guide that the storm was getting too rough and couldn't the boat steer us a bit straighter so that we wouldn't capsize??!!??

Then the Adventure Guide pointed at the boat. I noticed that there was one person driving the boat and he was in an enclosed cabin. I could only see the back of this person's head. I never saw his face. The driver was wearing a Captain's Hat. I took note of all of this and then the Adventure Guide pointed to the Captain and said, "He's purposefully steering the boat like this." (We were zig zagging.) I asked "WHY?! We're going to flip over again if He isn't careful!" He calmly said, "It's not the storm that is causing us to flip -- it's the Captain himself. Look..." I looked inside the cabin, through the pouring rain, and saw that the Captain had a little knobbed handle that he could move from right to left. A flick of the handle would cause the raft to flip. "Watch," he said. I watched as the Captain reached over (again, all I could see was the back of the Captain with his Captain's hat on.) and flipped the switch. We flipped again and I crashed through the water and waves, clutching onto my Adventure Guide's hand and again, I came back up with my feet planted firmly on the raft. I was gasping for air.

Then the Adventure Guide told me that the Adventure was in learning to stand my ground without holding on to his hand, even though the raft was going to flip. (He would still be on board the raft, but the fear would not be.) The next thing I knew, the Captain Himself was standing in my peripheral vision. He was holding onto my right hand while the Adventure Guide was holding on to my left hand. The Captain caused the raft to flip again. I clutched on to both of their hands, terrified. We came back up. The AG told me that I could stand my ground alone, with practice. (The Guide would still be on the raft with me, but I wouldn't need to be held up to make it through a flip.) The raft flipped again. This time I held on to their hands for half the flip and let go at the end of the flip and tried to steady myself. The AG encouraged me while the Captain stood silently by. We flipped twice more before I could do it without holding their hands so tightly.

And then I woke up.

****
Occasionally I'll come across a story, see a picture or hear a song that reminds me of this dream and gives me renewed strength and encouragement to not fear life so much, but to hold steady. I haven't completely let go of the fear and every so often I take a tumble again. But I do find it easier, when trials come, to say, "Oh! God is in this!" I start looking for Him faster, eager to find Him.

Recently I heard this song and it reminded me of my dream which sparked the memory and I thought I would share it.

I will swim in the deep
'Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You'll never out of reach

God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You