We’ve all had dreams we’ve wondered about. Some dreams are quite clear in their meaning. For instance, dreaming about failing your examinations is likely an extension of the fear and worry one feels in anticipation of the real event. 

Others are more… absurd. What can one make of an ostrich sticking its head into the sand before going skateboarding? Or a zombie apocalypse in school? These dreams are usually labelled as nonsensical and are simply stories to laugh at over the dinner table.

In the Bible, we see many prominent characters who have dreams from God such as Joseph, Jacob and Daniel. They had dreams which were hard to understand and which may even sound absurd to us.

And so, the big question here is this: How do I know if my dreams are from my mind or from God? 

Can God speak to us through dreams?

The short answer is yes, but it’s probably not something that happens all the time. The longer answer? That involves examining the different ways God can speak to us.

In the Bible, dreams were merely one of the ways that God spoke to His people. Indeed, God spoke through prophets, signs, miracles, even animals.

Today, I believe that God still chooses to speak to us through dreams and visions.

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” ‭(Joel 2:28-29)

Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has already been pouring out over all of God’s people.

Some might say that dreams are no longer necessary as a medium of communication between God and man, because God’s revelation through His Word is now complete – unlike the days of Paul or Joseph.

But there is no explicit mention in the Bible that this method of communication (dreams) has ceased. 

However, I wonder why God would still use dreams to communicate when the Word is complete.

Perhaps in some parts of the world, the Bible remains inaccessible and missionaries are few, thus, God relies on communicating with people through dreams.

GotQuestions also states that such a way of communicating is consistent with biblical examples of dreams being frequently used by God to reveal His truth to people in the early days of Christianity.

At the end of the day, God can communicate in any way He wants to, whether it is through a person, an angel, a vision or a dream. 

How do we know if our dreams are from God?

This is where discernment really matters. Just because dreams can come from God does not mean they cannot come from ourselves or even from the enemy.

So, whenever we get a dream that we think is from God, it is crucial that we pray about it when we are awake.

Recurring dreams or symbols might excite us. We might have the tendency to jump to conclusions that a certain dream must mean something.

But it takes a lot of humility and patience to pray and ask God for wisdom because we are often tempted to rush headlong into things that we assume are from God. We have to keep our desires and ego in check. 

If a dream is truly from God, we can trust that God can also affirm in other ways that the dream is indeed from Him.

These confirmations can come in various ways, such as conversations or circumstances that are external to our subjective feelings and thoughts.

If we believe that we are always instantly receiving knowledge or ideas from God through dreams… we should be careful about that. That isn’t always the case because it might take awhile to know for certain if a dream is from God.

More than that, it all eventually boils down to His timing: sometimes God will confirm the dream quickly, sometimes He won’t. So, when trying to interpret our dreams, patience and persistent prayer should come before anything else (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

But let us trust that God won’t leave us in the lurch if we sincerely seek to know His will and follow through on a message He is speaking to us. He is God and He knows how to strengthen our faith and bring clarity when a dream is from Him.

Dreams we believe to be from God will also never contradict Scripture or biblical truths and principles.

It is so important to remember that the enemy is lurking (1 Peter 5:8) and that he will do everything possible to discourage us from living out our faith in Jesus or to instil fear in us. Our dreams are not immune from these efforts and schemes.

It is entirely possible that you have experienced fearful and frightening dreams from the enemy before. Maybe it was a nightmare, or a dream that contradicts what believers are called to do. 

Don’t let it paralyse you. If a dream seems to be from the enemy, it is vital to call upon Jesus for protection. God will not forsake us and He will surely help us (Psalm 34:7).

If any part of our dream runs contrary to God’s promises or character in any way, we should also be on guard and reject the dream. After all, God never undermines His own Word.

With that, I’d like to share a short reflection below about a friend’s dream from God and how they saw it come into fruition. 

A dream turned reality

Last year, Dan (not his real name) was sleeping at home, in the middle of a dream, when he heard God say: “Hannah.” Just one word. Dan woke up from the dream at exactly 3:16 am and pondered if he had really heard God.

Then, Dan heard a voice again, saying: “Hannah.” So he asked God, “What would you like to say about Hannah?”

Dan then saw a vision – it was kaya toast. He was a bit baffled because there was no context. So he asked God what He meant.

Dan felt God say: “Tomorrow morning, on the way to work, I want you to buy many sets of kaya toast bread and give it to Hannah.” Dan was confused at this message but nevertheless agreed. And then he went back to sleep. 

The next day, on the way to work, Dan ordered 14 sets of kaya toast on Grab.

Upon reaching the office with four bags of toast, he saw Hannah on her knees praying on the floor, along with the rest of her team.

Right when Dan stepped into the room, Hannah was was praying to God aloud, “Lord, we have limited resources as a team. But could You multiply the impact of our work? Multiply it, like You multiplied the bread in the Bible?” 

Right at that moment, Dan looked in his hands at all the bread he was carrying. He gave the bread to Hannah and told her that God had just used literal bread to symbolise that He had heard her prayer and would multiply the impact of her ministry.

Dan also told her that God had woken him up at exactly 3:16 am. For one year, neither of them knew why he had been awoken at that time, but they continued to remember the number “316”. 

As the year passed, Hannah’s team, despite being so small, managed to put together a show at Suntec Convention Center.

After the show, Hannah messaged Dan. She told him that the pastor had reported to her the official number of people who had given their lives to Jesus that day.

The total number was 316.

One year ago, at 3:16 am, God asked Dan to get bread for Hannah to answer her prayer for multiplication. One year later, God delivered, multiplying her team’s reach, orchestrating an event that led to 316 people giving their lives to Jesus.

A word of caution

Dan’s real-life story shows us the real and powerful ways God can use dreams for His purposes even today.

However, we need to exercise caution and patience (Proverbs 1:7, 1 John 4:1). One should never be hasty in trying to interpret or act upon our dreams as not all dreams may be from God.

Additionally, interpreting dreams is something that can be subjective. Me dreaming about an ocean might mean something completely different to when you dream about an ocean.

And so, our interpretations should be based on what God and His Word says (1 Corinthians 3:11, Isaiah 28:16).

Ultimately, dreams are a topic that we should explore carefully. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. Prayer, humility, patience and receiving input and insight from our spiritual leaders are also important.

A great question to always ask ourselves is this: “Does this dream – if I were to act on it – help to glorify God?”

The answer must always be yes. Whatever we do must always point back to God and glorify Him!