When God speaks to us in dreams, it is always an affirming message from His heart directly to ours. He speaks in the language of the dreamer; using symbols that we can relate to in order to express a message that is designed uniquely for us. In this way, the interpretation will resonate with us deeply and will stick with us.

God uses symbols that will resonate with us personally. A person’s reaction or understanding of a particular symbol really matters when interpreting a dream and it is important to clarify how the dreamer themselves perceives a particular symbol.  For example, a common symbol in a dream is a dog. People feel differently about dogs on an individual basis, based on factors such as culture and childhood experiences with dogs, whether good or bad. A dog could be a person’s best friend or could be something that creates fear. What the dog is like and what the dog is doing in the dream will be indications of what it represents, but the point here is that God already understands a person’s natural reaction to a dog – whether we would be suspicious, afraid or endeared. It is not true to say that a dog always mean the same thing in a dream.

– God knows us inside out –

In a dream we interpreted last year, the initial part of the dream took place in a dry cleaning store. Our initial thoughts were that the dream was about a time, or season, of cleansing for the dreamer but after speaking with the dreamer for a while it became apparent that the dreamer worked in a dry cleaning store! This gave a different direction for the interpretation, as God used the dreamer’s own workplace to let her know of upcoming opportunities in the work context that encouraged her. The same type of location in another person’s dream would mean something else.

– His messages are heart to heart –

God wants to take care of our hearts. This is because it is out of our hearts that everything else comes. We see this in Proverbs 27:19 where it says ‘as water reflects the fact, so our lives reflect our hearts.’ In other words, we act out of what is in our hearts. What is rooted in our hearts defines what we believe and think. What we think defines how we feel. What we feel defines how we act. Our heart is our core and God sends messages to our core, as we sleep.

– God is interested in relationship, not lip service –

God has designed life to be a two-way, loving, powerful relationship with Him. When we get some understanding of our dreams, we can respond to what He is saying to us and allow Him to take care of our hearts. These things matter. Without this tending to our own hearts in relationship with God, how can we relate well to others?

Let’s not overlook the personal way God understands us and presents his messages to us. If we do, we end up missing, or misinterpreting entirely, what He is saying.

Have you had a dream you would like interpreted? Head to the ‘Submit a dream’ link on this website