A few years ago, I heard a Bible teacher say that God does not speak to us through our dreams any more. We have the Bible and that is how God talks to us today. This teacher said that dreams and visions are unreliable and the interpretation of them is borderline occult.

I respectfully disagree.

Why?

Scripture points to dreams and visions – even in New Testament times – as a way the Lord speaks to his people. And if the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever, why would he change the way he communicates? Consider:

Joel prophesied that men and youth would dream dreams and have visions, respectively, when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

Joel 2:28-32 (NLT): “Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.

In Acts 9, the Lord came to Ananias in a vision, telling him to restore Saul’s sight. He also gave Saul a vision that Ananias would come lay on hands on him and heal his sight.

In Acts 10, Peter has a vision that reveals to him that the Gospel message is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

Too Busy to Listen
I also believe that God has to speak to some of us through dreams because we’re unintentionally too distracted by our daily lives to hear God speak any other way. He has to come to us when we’re still and quiet and sometimes that only happens, sadly, when we sleep.

Personal Experience
I feel that God has spoken to me through dreams many times, as recently as last week.

Last week, I dreamt I was talking and walking with my great-grandmother, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 98. She was bed-ridden at a nursing home the last I saw her. Not in the dream. I believe God gave me a picture of how she’s been restored in her eternal body. (1 Corinthians 15:53: For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.) What a blessing to see her in a new light.

By the conversation I had with grandma, it was clear to me that she’s watching over me and is pleased with the faith that is now cornerstone in my life. She was such a godly woman and often spoke of God’s faithfulness when I would visit her. She left a legacy of faith for me. I’m pleased to bring honor to that legacy.

I always felt special when I spent time with grandma. This was still true in the dream. I felt cherished. My heart overflowed. I awoke on the verge of joyful tears. Not only did I sense Grandma’s presence and love in my life today, I also felt God’s love and presence. The dream was a gift from God, for which my response of “thank you” hardly seems adequate. This dream clearly communicated to me a message that I have hard time accepting in my waking hours: that God loves me, and each of us, unconditionally, without us having to earn it.

So those are my reasons for believing that God does still speak to us through dreams. What do you think? Does God still speak to us through dreams?

As I was writing this post, I came across this same subject at Gospel.com.