I cannot remember when exactly God started speaking to me through dreams, but I do know that it started with Bible verses and stories appearing vividly to me in my dreams. 

For instance, I was once in a season when I felt out of place in my church community because of some self-condemning thoughts in my head.

One night, I dreamt of a man telling me: “For each time that you hear a voice telling you that you don’t belong, God carves on your heart, ‘You are in a family, by the blood of the Lamb’.”

It was a very personal word to me, but what impacted me more was the fact that right after I woke up from this dream in the morning – I saw Ephesians 2:19 pop up as the verse of the day on my phone.

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”

That was how I first realised God could speak to me through dreams – and I’m not the only one. Last year, my friend and I went on a mission trip together and our mission team stayed in a house which was rented to us by a lady.

During the trip, we hosted services there and we dedicated the house to the Lord through prayer, hoping that God would establish His church there and that the house would become the gathering place of the local church. 

It is so cool that God speaks through dreams. He did so in the Bible, in the lives of these five people – and He still does the same today.

A week after we came back from the trip, my friend dreamt of our mission team going back to the same place to find that a church was formed. Upon hearing this word from her, we took it as a promise of God to hold onto as we continued to uphold the land in prayer. 

One year after the trip, we were told that the local church is flourishing and that they are currently using that same house where we stayed as their church! Praise be to God!

It is so cool that God speaks through dreams. He did so in the Bible, in the lives of these five people – and He still does the same today.

1. Joseph 

We see from Genesis 37 that Joseph’s dream was a prophetic one that revealed how he would rule over his older brothers in the future.

“He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it’” (Genesis 37:6-7)

 Then, he shared another dream with his brothers, referring himself to the sun and them as stars which bowed to him. Either way, Joseph’s dreams were reflections of his reign over his brothers. 

However, Joseph did not handle his dreams with wisdom here. His father rebuked him and he unknowingly provoked his brothers’ hatred of him which resulted in him being sold to Egypt.   

In this case, Joseph’s experience teaches us that maturity is needed for us to deal with our dreams wisely. We must practise discernment to know what we ought to do with the dreams given to us.

And so, if you believe God has spoken something to you in a dream – first test it against His Word. He will not contradict His own words and character in the Bible.

Consider not sharing it first with the whole wide world as well, but a few trusted friends and spiritual leaders with whom you can prayerfully weigh these dreams up together.

2. Gideon

In Judges 7, Gideon was about to wage war against the Midianites with an army of merely 300 men. Their enemies were “thick as locusts”.

That night, God told Gideon to go down to the camp with his servant Purah and listen to what his men there were saying, and that Gideon would be encouraged after doing so.

“A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp,” said a man, who was recounting his dream to his friend. “It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed”.

The friend replied: “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

To Gideon, this was crystal clear encouragement through someone else’s dream that victory was coming. 

Though dreams can be complicated and even incomprehensible, God can and often will provide clarity through them as when we seek Him.

In this chapter, it was through two fellow soldiers that God revealed His assurance to Gideon. And so, in our modern-day context, our godly peers who walk with God too can also be vessels through whom He speaks to us. 

Thank God that, like Gideon, we can be confident that He will not leave us in insecurity because He is a God who loves to encourage us as we serve Him.

3. King Nebuchadnezzar 

When it comes to weird dreams in the Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar would probably be the GOAT.

We find most of these dreams in the book of Daniel, and they were mostly dreams that held warnings from God. 

Daniel 2 tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar was losing sleep because of how troubled he was by his dream of a gigantic metal statue and its destruction. 

With each metal signifying a kingdom surrounding Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream served as a warning of his kingdom’s eventual downfall despite his momentary splendour and glory.

The story of this particular dream also shows us an important truth: “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:28). If God is the source of our dream, God will naturally be the only source of interpretation.

We need to be cautious not to be so quick to seek man for an answer – we must tune in to hear from God personally above all else. After all, no one is omniscient like our God.

4. Daniel 

As a wise man in exile under King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Daniel was not only a dreamer himself but also gifted with godly understanding to interpret his dreams.

As seen from the earlier chapters in Daniel, he glorified God through interpreting the king’s dreams on multiple occasions.

Interestingly, however, Daniel could not understand his dream of the four beasts in Daniel 7.

The message behind his dreams could only be explained when he approached a nearby angelic figure in his vision for assistance – the four beasts represented four ancient kingdoms.

Through this symbolic dream, we see that not all dreams come with a literal meaning. Additionally, certain symbols or meanings can be found in the Bible, which is why being familiar with the Word of God is essential in helping us to discern our dreams. 

“I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” (Daniel 7:28) 

At the end of chapter 7, we also see how Daniel had the godly wisdom and self-control to restrain himself from telling others about his dream. Despite feeling unsettled, he understood the weight of the vision in his dream and he was aware not to handle the matter frivolously.

Let us learn from Daniel in this aspect of filtering our speech. God gives us alarming dreams not for us to make them a talking point. Our responsibility is to find out why He reveals certain things to us and what He wants us to do with them. 

Some dreams are meant to place a burden in our hearts and stir us to intercede. In these moments, we should learn to first be still and pray privately. Other times, God may lead us through dreams to speak a word of encouragement or warning to someone else.

Spiritual discernment is needed in both instances.

5. Paul 

Last but not least, the apostle Paul was also someone who often received insights from the Lord in dreams and visions.

In Acts 16, God prompted Paul to head to Macedonia through a vision: “That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

It’s so fascinating to see how God led Paul to his next missions destination through a dream. The Message version of the Bible says here, “The dream gave Paul his map.” 

That was all the confirmation Paul needed.

So, dreams can also be a form of confirmation from God, especially when we have been seeking Him and praying over certain plans and directions in our lives.

Of course, it takes an active relationship with God before we might cultivate a sensitivity in our spirit to such things (God is also the one who decides whether or not He wants to speak to you through dreams in the first place!).

Whether you are a dreamer or not, be encouraged that God can speak to us anytime, anywhere, through anyone and in any way.

Just stay mindful that if a word or a dream is from God, it must first and foremost, be aligned with what the Bible says.

Keep returning to the basis of our faith– the written word of God and let it be the reference point that positions us to walk in the absolute truth of God.