In the 80’s, I was a member of the Columbia Record & Tape Club. I got a lot of music on vinyl back in the day, and if they’re not warped, they might all still play were I to have a record player again. They’re at my parent’s house and I need to get them out just to see.
One of the albums I received was from a group called Heart. The album was entitled, Heart. And one of the songs on that 1985 album was “These Dreams.” The chorus goes like this:
These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away
I love that song to this day. It’s a bit odd, and the video is different, but it tells a reality of our humanity: dreams are a very real important part of our life and as such, are part of the nature and character of God. Because he speaks through them.
Dreams have a very important place in the Old Testament. From Genesis onward, God speaks through dreams.The New Testament is filled with stories of dreams as well. Especially the book of Acts, where at Pentecost, Peter quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel as he says,
In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
I may do a series on dreams soon, but I want to look at Nebuchadnessar’s first dream in Daniel for now.
There is a back story to this dream event that you can read in Daniel 2, but for now, I want to touch on a couple of things from the relevant text, 2:27-30 (NLT, emphasis added):
27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.
29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
First, God is the dream revealer. He reveals the secrets. Dreams just happen. We can’t pray to receive dreams and we can’t conjure them up. In the scriptures, God is the dream giver, and is also the one who reveals the meaning of the dreams, either through others, or through full understanding given to the dreamer.
Second, God gives dreams with a purpose. Daniel said that “God wants you to understand what was in your heart (NLT).” The New Revised Standard and the New American Standard both translate this as, “that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.” The dreams that come from God are given to the dreamer for a purpose. It is to reveal was is going on in your mind and your heart. In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, it seems he may have had anxiety about his kingdom. God gave him a dream that revealed the one true king who ruled a kingdom that will never end and whose kingdom will crush all others.
Now, here’s where I’m becoming more fascinated: do our dreams, in general, provide an insight from God into the things our mind and heart are dealing with subconsciously? This dream in Daniel, and possibly Peter’s dream in Acts 10, seem to have a dual purpose. For Nebby, he’s worried about his kingdom, so God gives him a glimpse into the future to reveal what will happen. For Peter, he’s wondering about Gentiles, and has a dream where God tells him to eat all meat, not just those animals the Jews considered “clean,” along with a message from God stating, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Could our dreams be one method God uses to reveal our brokenness, pain, fear, anxiety, and desires? And if we can recognize what God is saying through that dream, provide an avenue for healing, restoration, and joy? True, sometimes God reveals the future through dreams, as in this story in Daniel, and we should not discount that either. But what if God uses dreams more than we want to acknowledge and more than we realize? This is something to ponder for sure.
Finally, the dreams from God, when revealed and understood, take us to our knees in humble worship. Daniel 2:46ff show how Nebby fell down and worshiped and called for everyone to worship Daniel’s God.
As you’re reading scripture, consider the dreams the authors speak of. See the power of those dreams in transforming the thoughts and lives of the dreamer. And consider the power of God to impact you in your dreams.