
Matthew 2:13-18 NKJV
BE Grateful Series
All my life God has guided me by my dreams and visions. I’d say 80% of my dreams and visions are warning dreams. I had my first warning dream when I was twelve years old.
In the dream a very large black dog (the size of a house) walked through my neighborhood. I was very frightened by the dream. About two weeks after the dream I was cornered by a big black dog at the side of my house. He was growling and I was very scared. The man across the street came and chased the dog away.
I had my next warning dream about three years later. By the time I had the second dream I suspected God was using my dreams and visions to warn me something was about to happen.
God wanted me to know He had it all covered.
In today’s scripture, God gave a warning dream to Joseph.
Apparently when King Herod found out about the special Child who would be King of the Jews he was a little obsessed about finding him so he could get rid of him.
We learn from Matthew 2:13-18, “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
When Joseph had the warning dream he believed God and he did exactly what God warned him in a dream to do.
Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt.
Just as God commanded, they left at night.
When King Herod didn’t find the baby Jesus, he was very angry and he ordered all male children under the age of two years old who lived in Bethlehem and the surrounding area to be put to death. That action fulfilled the prophecy spoken by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:15.
Since The weekend of February 29, March 1, 2020 I’ve had twenty dreams and visions that have warned me something is happening or will happen. Only one of the dreams I had during that time period has not come to pass to date.
I’m not sure why there have been so many dreams and visions.
As a result of God warning me that something is happening or will happen, I’ve been more aware of God actively working in my life.
I’m also acutely aware of God’s watch-care over me and God’s love for me. I’ve always believed and known that God loves me, but because of the sharp increase of warning dreams/visions, I’ve become aware of how very much God is active in my life.
I’ve also been journaling my dreams and visions. The journaling has reminded me of the patterns in my life. For example, I’ve been writing about scripture since I finished Seminary in 2013, but I wasn’t publishing my writing on a regular basis. During that time I wrote four books. I’ve published one of those books. The other three are illustrated books and while the writing is complete, the illustrations are still being ‘tweaked’.
Early in 2020 I started writing and illustrating the book of Genesis. It’s a very time consuming work and it’s still not completed. Since I started writing a daily blog in November 2020, I’ve written 15 books. About half of those will be shorter e-books.
When I started writing on a daily basis, I started spending a lot of time praying about what to write.
And the pattern? It seems like the more I prayed, I had more dreams and visions. God spoke to me more. I do not know if I was simply listening and paying attention more, or if God was actually speaking more.
I do believe when we spend time praying we are telling God we want more communication. The result seems to be that God communicates more.
It’s possible that God is not communicating to you the same way He communicates to me. I have a good idea what gifts God has given to my own four children, and they are all different. Only one of them has the gift of dreams and visions. One of them has the gift of interpreting dreams and visions. Two of them have the gift of knowledge. Another has the gift of Administration.
God will speak to you using your specific gifts.
God gives you the ability to communicate with Him and when you spend time with God, sitting with God in prayer and taking time to listen, God will communicate with you one way or another.
Just like God communicated the warning to Joseph, God will communicate with you.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Pray and Listen
Spend time talking to God and spend time listening.
In God, Deborah
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