| The Bible gives us many examples of dreamers and the men who interpret them. One of these men was named Daniel. Daniel dreamt, he prophesied and he interpreted dreams for others. What you will find throughout the Scriptures is the purpose of dreaming. Most of our dreams are messages from God, with a purpose in mind; to reveal a mystery about ourselves or about our future. In Chapter 2 of Daniel, we read about a king who goes to bed with a concern on his mind about the future of his kingdom. As he sleeps he dreams. The dream upsets him so that he seeks an intrepreter. He asks Daniel to interpret it for him. " You, oh king, as you lay in bed, were thinking of the future, speculating as to what should come to pass hereafter, and He (God) who reveals secrets disclosed to you what is going to happen ... that you, oh king, may understand the thoughts of your own heart."As you read on, you will find that Daniel interprets many more dreams for the king." Dreams reveal negative characterisitics about ourselves which need changing. In Daniel Chapter 4 we read Daniel interpreting another dream for the king. This time it is about the king's future and the destruction of his kingdom if he doesn't make some changes. Daniel warns the king to "Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed." Daniel 4:27. The king chooses not to change, therefore brings the calamity upon himself which was also revealed in his dream.
Prophetic Dreams - about our future or someone else's Sometimes messages are sent to someone who listens and acknowledges their dreams in order for the message to get through. We see this throughout scripture among the prophets. Mankind was too stubborn to listen, so God sent the messages to the prophets who listened and interpreted them. They in turn passed the message on to the receiver. Granted, not all parties involved were happy to hear the message but, had they not received it, God could not hold them accountable. Prophecy comes to us in many symbols and for different reasons. If it deals with our future or other future events, we call this a prophetic dream. There are many examples like this found throughout scripture. 'Revelations' is a whole book written by John who had visions and dreams of what is to come.
Nightmares get our attention. Unless you've watched a scary movie or hold on to a lot of worry and fear, your nightmares will be nothing more than to get your attention. Many people don't remember their dreams, but most people remember nightmares. I had a 42-year-old woman who didn't remember her dreams before she started seeing me, but she could remember a nightmare that she had had when she was around age five. If you go to bed worried, or ask God to help you solve a problem, it's likely you'll wake up with a nightmarish answer! The inventor, Elias Howe, went to bed puzzled and frustrated about how he could create a needle that would catch the bobbin thread on a sewing machine. As he slept, he had a nightmare of being attacked by African natives with spears, the points of which had a hole. It was like God telling him, "Here's your answer coming right at you!". As we know, the needle design works perfectly.
Dreams help to solve problems. Thomas Edison once said, "Dreams come from space." (I personally feel that they come from a higher source.). Edison kept a cot in his work area, and whenever he had a problem or was thinking up a new idea, he intentionally dozed off, knowing he would receive his answers in his sleep. Dreams quicken the mind and the spirit to receive strength when we are weak, experience peace when we are anxious, and deliver sanity to the troubled mind. As a counselor, I have used dream therapy with all my clients. I have had wonderful results using the knowledge revealed through the dreams of my clients. They tell me the vision and God reveals the healing message to me. God is talking to you every night, you just have to learn to listen and understand the message!
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