What Dreams Are Made Of
Did you know we dream 5-7 times a night? Rarely do we remember these dreams, but they are there. Have you ever had a dream so vivid that you find yourself awake, sitting up in bed, and telling yourself over and over, “It’s just a dream”? I sure have! Dreams are one of those topics I look forward to having a conversation with God about. Why do we have them? How did He create a brain capable of coming up with such stuff?
“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.” (Genesis 37:5)
Now, this wasn’t one of those kinds of dreams. Joseph didn’t have a dream where he forgot his locker combination or the recurring dream of showing up to class having forgotten to get dressed. This was a message. The Lord had a message for Joseph; but just like many of us, Joseph twisted it up and let his own “humanness” put a filter on the true message.
Remember, this Joseph was the spoiled boy of the household. I can see him coming down to breakfast with his new colorful coat and commanding the attention of all the family. “Y’all, I had a dream last night! We were wheat, and my sheaf rose above yours; and all of you bowed down to me!” Yeah, I can see where the hate grew. I mean, he certainly hadn’t learned to read a room.
Jacob, the father, was familiar with God speaking through dreams; so this wasn’t a new idea for this family. It wasn’t the message, but the delivery. This dream was indeed calling Joseph into leadership. What he didn’t know was the path he’d have to take to learn the lessons he’d need to become a great leader. If he had, I feel certain his proclamation would have been fueled with much more humility … if he chose to share it at all.
I have zero idea if God uses dreams to speak to us today. But I do know He speaks to us and shares messages in a handful of ways. He speaks to us through His Word, through prayer, through our church, through others, and through our circumstances. In these verses about Joseph we learn not only our ability to hear from the Lord, but our responsibility to dig deep into what we hear and how we share that message.
Lord, we long to hear from You. Use every minute of our day, every device in our hands and every person we come in contact with to connect and hear from You. In Your precious Name, Amen.
By Carrie Peterson
“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.” (Genesis 37:5)
Now, this wasn’t one of those kinds of dreams. Joseph didn’t have a dream where he forgot his locker combination or the recurring dream of showing up to class having forgotten to get dressed. This was a message. The Lord had a message for Joseph; but just like many of us, Joseph twisted it up and let his own “humanness” put a filter on the true message.
Remember, this Joseph was the spoiled boy of the household. I can see him coming down to breakfast with his new colorful coat and commanding the attention of all the family. “Y’all, I had a dream last night! We were wheat, and my sheaf rose above yours; and all of you bowed down to me!” Yeah, I can see where the hate grew. I mean, he certainly hadn’t learned to read a room.
Jacob, the father, was familiar with God speaking through dreams; so this wasn’t a new idea for this family. It wasn’t the message, but the delivery. This dream was indeed calling Joseph into leadership. What he didn’t know was the path he’d have to take to learn the lessons he’d need to become a great leader. If he had, I feel certain his proclamation would have been fueled with much more humility … if he chose to share it at all.
I have zero idea if God uses dreams to speak to us today. But I do know He speaks to us and shares messages in a handful of ways. He speaks to us through His Word, through prayer, through our church, through others, and through our circumstances. In these verses about Joseph we learn not only our ability to hear from the Lord, but our responsibility to dig deep into what we hear and how we share that message.
Lord, we long to hear from You. Use every minute of our day, every device in our hands and every person we come in contact with to connect and hear from You. In Your precious Name, Amen.
By Carrie Peterson
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