The Spiritual Nature of Dreams

Everyone has had occasion when they have been profoundly affected by their dreams. We have all had dreams that are frightening, forecast the future, convey specific instruction, or fill us with wonder and awe. Dreams are almost always difficult to decipher, and often they convey a degree of mystery that few other forms of human experience can match.

Why do dreams so transfix, confuse, and inspire mankind? It is because dreams are, at their very essence, spiritual experiences. They are expressions of the soul and the spirit, and as such they form a link between our experiences in material reality and our inherent spiritual nature. Dreams sometimes reflect circumstances and events of the physical world, but they are not of the physical world.

In the Judaeo-Christian tradition it is acknowledged that dreams are a gift from God. Not all dreams are from God, although some are and those that are reveal a deep insight into the spiritual nature of man, into the dynamics of individual human consciousness, and into the continuous spiritual transformation of all of humanity.

Dreams are an integral part of the Christian experience, and we all know from our studies that there are many examples of divinely inspired dreams recorded in the Holy Scriptures. These dream experiences guided the development of human consciousness, gave instruction to specific individuals, and offered warning, protection, guidance, and insight to the patriarchs, prophets, disciples and apostles.

Today, these experiences are available for every sincere and devoted Christian. Indeed, many Christians are having these experiences on a nightly basis although often they are not recognize for what they are.

There is a tendency among some modern Christians, and among many non-Christians, to view the Biblical examples of divine revelation as quaint stories or child-like mythologies from the distant past. But they are much more than that. These mythologies come down to us as clear examples of divinely inspired instruction for specific individuals, for communities, and for whole nations. There is often an immediate utility to these experiences, a warning to flee, for example, and there is a longer term purpose that is intended to remind humanity that we are not alone in the world, that we have not been abandoned to the dark forces of the universe.

The dream visions of the Holy Scriptures are there to remind us of the manifold ways in which the Lord guides, defends, and protects the development of human consciousness. Anyone in the modern world can avail themselves of this divine guidance merely by paying more attention to their sleeping dreams.