Does God speak to us through dreams?

He does.

God is sovereign. Speaking to a human through a dream is easy for Him. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father had 4 dreams. All concerned Jesus. An obedient man, Joseph obeyed each one. God’s will was accomplished.

The four dreams of Joseph:

Dream one-told not to divorce Mary but to take her as his wife.

Dream two- told to take Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt.

Dream three- told to return to Israel when Herod died.

Dream four- told not to go to Judea because Herod’s son was king…instead, Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Galilee and the town of Nazareth. In that time Nazareth was a synonym for “despised.” (Jesus was despised when He lived on earth. He continues to be despised after ascending to heaven. To despise Jesus is a grave mistake. Jesus is the Friend of sinners. You and I need a friend like Jesus.)

Yes, Joseph had 4 dreams. He became good at obedience. And the last two had to do with returning to Israel from Egypt:

 “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew 2:19-23

 The Bible records others who God spoke to in dreams- the first Joseph-Old Testament-the Prophet Daniel and the wife of Pilate who sent Jesus to be crucified. They were different. This is about Joseph and the four dreams God sent him. It’s about how Joseph responded.

Just curious. How are we to receive messages from God? Can we?

Yes! Read the Bible.

God spoke to those people under special circumstances of dreams.

There is a less noticeable silent truth in this Bible account of Joseph, earthly “father” of Jesus:

It’s about obedience.

Joseph did not have Bible. So, God directed Joseph through dreams. The remarkable thing is Joseph obeyed every time. Now what is the best choice we can make in every turn of life?

Obey God.

Jesus reminded people in His ministry the we are to obey God:

 “Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

John 14:23-24

There is a second verse on obedience that applies here, this verse was written by Dr. Luke. They are the words of the disciples of Jesus:

“Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

Acts 5:29

I have a wish. It is that we see the example of Joseph and apply it to our lives. Be amazed at the dreams, they take a deep breath and listen to God. How do we know what God wants us to do?

His clear direction is found in His word the Bible. Dust off your Bible…read what God wants us to know about who He is and how we should live.

Then ask God for strength to obey Him.