Seven Reasons We Should Listen to Our Dreams

Some believe dreams are just random firings of the synapses in our brain. Others say that dreams are one of the brain’s ways of processing information from previous day. But is that what the Bible teaches us about dreams?

I don’t believe it is.

The Bible both tells us that God communicates through dreams and give us examples of God communicating with people through dreams.  Below I’ll examine some of what I teach in my course about dream interpretation at a Christian university and online Bible college.

Some Scientific Observations Concerning Dreams
Sleep laboratories have proven that everyone dreams one to two hours each night during a certain period of sleep known as alpha level, which is light sleep. Every 90-minute cycle of sleep begins with alpha, then goes into deeper sleep which is called theta, and finally deepest sleep which is called delta.

At the close of the first 90-minute cycle each night, the individual returns to alpha level sleep, where he has a short, five-minute dream period. The next time he cycles up to alpha, he has a ten-minute dream period. The third time in alpha, the dream period is about 15 minutes, and so on. If one sleeps a full eight hours, the entire last hour is essentially spent in alpha level sleep. Thus, the average person sleeping for eight hours a night will dream about one to two hours of that time.

Alpha level sleep is where one has what is called Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Rapid Eye Movement is exactly what it sounds like: the eyes of the dreamer begin moving rapidly. He is actually watching the scenes in the dream, and thus his eyes are literally moving back and forth, observing the action. By observing the alpha level sleep when Rapid Eye Movement occurs, researchers in sleep laboratories have determined when a person is dreaming and how much time is spent dreaming in an average night.

Seven Reasons We Should Listen to Our Dreams
1. God declared that He WOULD speak through dreams and visions in the Old Testament.

And He said, “Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream” (Num. 12:6).

2. God declared that He DID speak through dreams and visions in the Old Testament.

“I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets” (Hos. 12:10).

3. God declares that He WILL communicate through dreams and visions in the New Testament.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days,” saith God, “I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

4. God declares that He WILL COUNSEL us at night through our dreams.

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind (inner man) instructs me in the night (Ps. 16:7 NASB).

5. Rather than our dreams being fatalistic, dreams are calling us to change SO WE WILL NOT PERISH.

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword (Job 33:14-18, emphasis mine).

6. God does very significant things WITHIN dreams. For example, He established the Abrahamic Covenant in a dream.

And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him....And God said to Abram....In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying... (Gen. 15:12,13,18, emphasis mine).

7. God grants supernatural gifts THROUGH dreams.

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, “Ask what I shall give thee....”

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?”

“...Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee....” And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream (I Kings 3:5,9,12,15).

What have you been dreaming? What may God be trying to communicate with your through your dreams? I encourage you to take note of your dreams and work to interpret them. If you are not sure how to interpret dreams, please read my previous article, “Principles for Interpreting Dreams”.