Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Wednesday December 21 Attention!

For God may speak in one way, or in another, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death. Job 33:14-18 NLT

If we accept that God created us for Himself and His purposes, surely we would accept that He wants to communicate with us. In fact, He is relentless in trying to get our attention so that we might have a true, active relationship with Him. Today's scripture affirms that God speaks to us in many different ways. The simplest and most direct way He speaks to us is through His written word, but He certainly does not stop there. He may use other people, music, circumstances, nature, and of course, His Holy Spirit residing in each one of us. Last time we talked about the possibility that God may speak to us in our dreams, and again, today's verses confirm that possibility. Of course, not every dream is a communication from God, any more than every word spoken to us from other people is communication from God. It is important to use discernment and "test the spirits, whether they are from God for many false prophets have gone into the world" 1 John 4:1 Nonetheless, as scripture tells us, dreams can be a valuable source of communication from God. He may use them to warn us of a situation that is dangerous to either our physical or spiritual selves, as He did with Abimalech when he took Sarah for himself. (Genesis chapter 20) Or He may use a dream to offer encouragement as He did for Gideon in Judges chapter 7. Consider the importance of dreams in the Christmas narrative, including Joseph's dream telling him to take Mary as his wife, or later to flea to Egypt with Mary and Jesus to  protect Him from Herod. Similarly it was through a dream that the wisemen were warned of Herod's evil intentions. How might God be using dreams to get your attention?

Prayer
Great Lover of our souls, we come giving thanks with such gratitude that no matter how distant we me become, You never cease reaching out and calling to us. Lord we thank You for the way Your faithful servants of old listened to Your communication through dreams. Help us O God, to be open and attentive to all the ways You would speak to us each and every day. We ask in Jesus' name. AMEN!

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