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In a Nutshell Dreams are part of our life. The biblical story from Genesis to Revelation often talks about dreams. When God wants to he can use a dream to change the course of history. |
What do you make of your dreams?
Often dreams fill us with alarm. They are bad dreams. They wake us up and though we can't always remember our dream, there's something at the back of our minds, that us for the rest of the day.
Sometimes we only remember what it was that worried us when we put our head on the pillow and kiss mum and dad good night. Then we might not want to go to sleep again.
Do you remember Joseph? His story is right at the beginning of the bible. It is found in the book of Genesis chapters 37 to 50. Joseph had dreams. When he told his mother and father and brothers they didn't know what to say, and so they got cross with him, because they thought he was trying to make himself out to be more important than they were.
The fact that Joseph had dreams was not the only thing that made his brothers jealous. But it helped. You'll remember Joseph was the young man with the rich and ornate cloak - his father had given it to him as a symbol of his authority to manage the herds kept by his brothers. They wanted to kill him but then they thought better of it and sold him as a slave to some traders going way down into Egypt land. Well if you read the story you'll see how Joseph's dreams were part of God's plans to look after him and his family. When we read the Old Testament now we can see how God spoke to Jacob and all of Israel through the dreams of Joseph. In fact Joseph's dreams were God's special gift to Joseph. They became Joseph's special contribution to the story of how God's Kingdom brings redemption to all the earth. We are just amazed to realise that these dreams helped prepare for the coming of Jesus.
Dreams and visions are part of our life. We can't make them happen, but when they do happen they can be changed by them. We see things in new ways. Our thoughts take new directions. We are refreshed..
Ezekiel and Daniel and Zechariah are also books of the Old Testament part of the bible which tell us about the dreams of these prophets. Some of these dreams were strange stories about strange creatures and angels. They told God's People about the person called the Son of Man who was the One who would usher in God's Kingdom of righteousness and peace. There were other prophecies that said a new Elijah would come as the forerunner to the Messiah.
Isaiah told the people about the Suffering Servant of the Lord. After Jesus came and did what He was sent to do His disciples began to understand the second Elijah referred to John the Baptist and Jesus was indeed the One who fulfilled the prophecies and visions about the Son of Man and the Suffering Servant.