In just two weeks I will board a plane and head to the
Philippines. The past few days I have
been dreaming strange dreams about that experience. I have dreamed that a violent storm, a
Typhoon, hits the island while I'm there.
In my dream I am scared to death.
At times I see myself helping others, and at times I see myself running
for my life.
This whole experience has forced me to think through my
theology of dreams. As a pastor, often I
am asked: “Preacher, what do you think about dreams?”
Many times people will wait on a dream or a vision before
they do anything. Other people are
looking for confirmation in a dream or vision. Many people might see my dream
perhaps as a warning or a stage of preparation.
I commented Monday to my secretary about my dream. It got me to think what do I really believe
about this dream?
I preached this week and next from the book of Daniel. I am going to share primarily from the
perspective of prayer. However, if you
study Daniel then you know that God gives him a vision for the future. Keep in mind Daniel is not searching for this
vision, but rather he was studying God's word.
As Daniel studied he came across Jeremiah 25:11-12.
He soon realized that this exile of Jerusalem would have time
restrictions. This exile would be
limited to 70 years. Daniel was a smart
man, and he realized that they had been in exile now for 70 years. He realized this from studying the
Scriptures.
Here is the Life lesson:
A true follower of Jesus Christ knows that every day: I need God to guide me!
If you are truly devoted to Jesus Christ, than you will
never stop studying God’s word, because you know you will never arrive.
I cannot live one day without the word. I can
live every day without a dream.
Real Reality: You never get to mature for the word, and you
never get to strong for the word. You
are not going to find guidance in your life by trying to sit around and hoping that God shows up in a vision or a
dream. I do not trust my visions or my
dreams. Rather, I Trust in GOD!
My visions and dreams are often very strange. And my dreams are sometimes very
bizarre. I am not trusting my dreams or
emotions and I am not trusting my feelings.
When I need to know which way to go I am going to go to the word of God!
Why? Because, I can
trust God’s word. I trust God’s word to be my guide, strength
and source of hope. My emotions let me down, they misguide me. One day I am up, one day I am down.
Daniel is an eighty six-year-old man, able to do math,
reading the prophet Jeremiah, and he recognizes that God said this exile would
end in 70 years. He begins to count and
I think he began to get excited. He
comes the realization that 70 years have passed. He
trusted in God's word. God had promised, and he believed it would
happened just as God said it would.
Keep in mind it has
not happened as of yet. He believed that
it would, but it has not. Then Daniel
concludes what he needs to do is to pray.
He says this is what God has said, this is what has
transpired thus far, and I believe God's
Word, therefore, it is reasonable by
faith to expect the exile to terminate.
So, as I seek guidance day to day I am reminded of this much
needed truth: I need to pray. As I pray I trust god and his word to speak
and uplift my spirit. What does it say
about my life if my emotions guide me more than the scriptures?
It tells me I trust myself more than the one who made
me. May that never be said of me!
