Week 6, Day 1

We can not look at the life of Joseph without talking about dreams. It is my favorite part!

Often in scripture we see divine dreams guiding people toward God’s ultimate will. Dreams would play a significant role in guiding Joseph’s life as they did for his father Jacob. If we look back in Genesis 28 and 31, we can see that God spoke promises to Jacob through his dreams. I have no doubt Joseph learned from his father to pay close attention to the conversation God was having with him when he closed his eyes.

For as long as I can remember, God has spoken to me through my dreams. It has not always been a gift I appreciated. There are many times a divine dream has been used to warn me or prepare me for events and circumstances that would be challenging or painful. It took a lot of maturing to realize what a gift that is in my life and in the lives of those around me.

I can remember dreaming about one of our sons being in the bottom of a dark hole. In the dream he was looking up and a shadow of a large male stood over him shoveling dirt on top of him in the hole. I knew when I woke up I had to find out what was happening in his life to prompt such a dream. I kept him home from school that day and spent the entire day talking with him. Finally after many hours, he confided that another boy at school was being aggressive and making sexually inappropriate advancements toward him. I contacted the school and with their help we were able to separate my child from this threat. That dream is still painful for me to think about but I praise God for the warning.

I had the privilege of helping care for my husband’s father the last few years of his life. If I am honest those years held as much sweet as they did bitter. I am so thankful we were able to be so hands-on, but I could have never prepared my heart for such a massive loss. That man stole a big part of my heart without me ever realizing it. God in His grace and mercy allowed me to have a dream to prepare for what was coming. One week before he passed away I dreamed that Chuck was sneaking out of the house with a pillow and blanket clutched to his chest. He looked like a big kid. I asked him where he thought he was going. With a huge smile on his face he said I am going home! I woke up and realized he might be leaving us sooner than I expected. I have often looked back on that dream, and it has comforted me to think about how happy he was to be going home. What a gift!

This week you will have the opportunity to read testimonies from others who have experienced God speaking through dreams. I hope it will encourage you to pay closer attention to your own dreams and offer the ones that stand out to the Lord in prayer.

Week 6 Reading
Genesis 40-41

Prayer Focus for the Week
Ask God to help you listen when He is speaking to you - either through your dreams, His word, the counsel of a friend, etc. Also pray that He will give you the gift of divine dreams. Don’t forget to write them down and share them with a trusted friend to help you understand what the Lord is saying to you.

• Have you been hesitant to share your dreams with others in a desire to help each other decipher the message God wants you to hear? I encourage you to take a chance - you might be surprised to hear how God is speaking to others through their dreams also.