The Lord speaks to us in many ways, through prayer, messages from other people, and, of course, the Scriptures. The Bible also shows us that the Lord sometimes speaks to us through dreams. Below is an exchange I had with a student about a dream he had.
An Example of Helping a Person Interpret Their Dream
Mike is a student who asked me about a dream he had. I am an instructor at a Online Bible College. One of the focuses of the Christian education at the college is learning to listen when God speaks. So, when Mike had a particularly vivid and impactful dream, he asked me about the dream.
The dream as Mike sent it to me: “Here it goes: The school bus was coming to my home when I was in high school. I was running late and saw the bus coming and was running towards it and I saw my father-in-law (Fred) get on the bus and before I could get on, just before I reached it, it left. I was a bit upset that he didn’t wait for me. I tried to look to see if it was George driving the bus and thought it was. (George and I talked once in awhile and he was the actual bus driver when I was in high school.)
“But soon after, I saw another school bus coming and knew it was going to the public school in the same town and asked the lady if I could take it and she said yes. So I got on. Don’t remember any of the ride. Next I remember talking to my father-in-law and asking him why George left me and didn’t wait. He gave me a mumbled answer which didn’t make sense and which I can’t remember at all now.
“And that was the dream. One thing that really concerns me is that my father-in-law died this past December of cancer at the age of 61.”
My first response: “I’ll be glad to offer a few questions and suggestions for you to consider.
“The symbols in the dream include:
* school = place where we are educated and learn
* bus = transportation to the place of learning
* being left behind = fear of being left behind
“So the question you would ask yourself is, ‘In what sense am I being educated at this time in my life, and am I afraid I am going to be left behind?’
“I suspect the answer is that you are being educated in the area of communion with God, and that there is a part of you that is afraid that you are being left behind (i.e., not going to get it all). You actually expressed exactly that fear in class. I assume it is that fear in your heart which was expressed in your dream.
“However, God showed you in the dream that there was hope. Another bus came along and took you to school. So you do not need to fear missing some parts of the teaching the first time around. There is another way to get it. For example, reading the whole Communion with God book; taking the three-month Communion with God course with Christian Leadership University and having me as a mentor; purchasing the videos which were made; purchasing the cassettes of me teaching the entire course; purchasing the CWG Teacher’s Guide; getting a couple of spiritual counselors in your church or area who are right-brain and sharing your journaling with them and having them cover it, etc.
“Don’t be concerned that the person in your dream died a year ago. People in our dreams most often are part of ourselves. The way we discover what part is to ask, “What is the dominant characteristic of the person?” Then, it is usually that part of ourselves we are dreaming about. The dream is not about you dying.”
Mike’s second letter: “Thank you, Mark, for responding. To be honest, it was not what I expected. It sounds good but I have this big question...why was my father-in-law in this dream and why was it so evident that he was in it? He must have something to do with the dream?”
My second response: “When you think of your father-in-law, Fred, what is the most dominant characteristic of him? That is your key. Once you identify that characteristic, you are then talking about that part of yourself. Your heart is drawing pictures (like Bible Pictionary - if you have ever played it), to communicate a message to you.
“Whatever part of you that Fred is representing, that part of you is OK with the message of CWG and is getting along with it and on time (as evidenced by the fact that he got on the bus OK). Some other part of you is struggling with the message of CWG, being afraid you are not getting it all.
“Any chance that Fred is a ‘heart’ kind of a guy as opposed to a ‘head’ kind of a guy?
“My guess is that your heart is fine with the CWG message but your left-hemisphere is afraid that it hasn’t got all the pieces yet (which is true - it hasn’t). However, as I mentioned earlier, your head doesn’t need to get all the pieces in my four mornings of teaching you, because I have provided books and cassettes and videos which you can take home and study in detail.
“My guess is that your left-hemisphere (your analytical reasoning brain) is uptight, but that your heart (as perhaps represented by an ‘easy going Fred’) is fine with the message of Communion with God.
“What do you think?”
Mike’s final response: “Mark. Wow. That’s exactly how he was. Easy going. Laid back. Blessings, Mike”
Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is an Online Bible College offering Christian Education which includes listening to God’s voice and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.
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