God Speaks Through Dreams: Lessons from Joseph

Have you ever had a dream that stayed with you long after you woke up? Perhaps you could not explain why it was so vivid, or you felt there was something about it that you needed to remember. The Bible gives us several examples of God communicating through dreams, and God speaks through dreams is one of the lessons we can see clearly in the life of Joseph.

Joseph was only seventeen years old when he had two dreams that would reveal something about his future. At the time, he could not have known how important those dreams would become or how much his life would change before he saw their fulfillment.

Joseph’s Dreams Had a Purpose

Joseph had two dreams, and both had a similar meaning.

In the first dream, Joseph and his brothers were in the field binding sheaves. Joseph’s sheaf stood upright while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around his and bowed down to it.

Then Joseph had another dream. This time, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to him.

Joseph shared his dreams with his family, but his brothers did not respond with excitement. Instead, they became jealous and hated him because of the dreams. His father rebuked him, but Jacob also kept the matter in mind.

There is something important here.

God did not give Joseph these dreams simply for the sake of giving him something exciting to think about.

The dreams were communicating something about his future. Joseph did not know all the details, but he knew there was something significant ahead of him.

God was showing him something before Joseph understood how it would happen.

And that is one of the lessons I take from Joseph’s story: when God communicates something to us, there may be a purpose behind it even when we do not understand everything immediately.

Joseph knew what he had seen, but he did not know the journey that would follow.

He did not know he would be thrown into a pit by his brothers.

He did not know he would be sold into slavery.

He did not know he would be falsely accused and end up in prison.

He did not know he would help someone in prison who would later forget about him.

But God knew.

God Speaks Through Dreams, But We Need Understanding

Another thing that stands out to me in Joseph’s story is that God not only gave Joseph dreams; later, God gave him understanding of other people’s dreams.

While Joseph was in prison, he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Eventually, Pharaoh had troubling dreams that no one could interpret. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, and God enabled him to explain what the dreams meant.

There is something beautiful about the progression in Joseph’s life.

The young man who had once received dreams would later become someone God used to interpret dreams.

Joseph understood that the ability did not come from him. When he stood before Pharaoh, he directed the attention to God.

This reminds me that if we believe God may be communicating something through a dream, we should not simply depend on our own understanding.

We need to seek God.

God speaks through dreams, but that does not mean we will automatically understand everything we see.

Sometimes a dream may seem very clear. Other times, it may contain symbols, people, places, or situations that leave us wondering what they mean.

That is when we need to pray and ask God for understanding.

Seek God Before Seeking an Interpretation

There are resources available that can help us learn about dreams and symbols. I believe resources can be useful, especially when we encounter something we do not understand.

But resources should never replace God.

The person who communicates through the dream is the One we should seek for understanding.

One resource that helped me when I began learning about dream interpretation was the teaching of John Paul Jackson. Although he passed away several years ago, his books and teachings on dreams are still available.

Another resource that has helped me is The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions by Adam F. Thompson and Adrian Beale. The book presents a Bible-based approach to dreams and visions and includes principles and examples related to dream interpretation.

I mention these resources because they have helped me, but I do not believe that using a resource means we stop seeking God.

We still need Him.

The Same Symbol Can Have Different Meanings

Let me give you an example of why I believe seeking God for understanding is so important.

I have had two dreams where a lion was present.

In both dreams, I understood that the lion represented something different because of what the lion was doing.

In one dream, I understood the lion to represent Jesus.

In another dream, I understood the lion to represent the devil.

The Bible gives us an example of Jesus being described as the Lion of the tribe of Judah:

…“See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” — Revelation 5:5

At the same time, 1 Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a roaring lion who prowls around looking for someone to devour.

So we have the same basic image—a lion—but the meaning is not automatically the same in every situation.

That is why I do not believe we should simply look at a symbol in a dream and immediately decide what it means.

We need to look at the whole dream.

What was happening?

What was the lion doing?

How did you feel?

What else was taking place?

Most importantly, what is God showing you?

We need God to help us understand because we do not want to get it wrong.

What I Do When I Have a Significant Dream

One thing I have learned to do is write down my dreams as soon as I wake up.

Sometimes I record them because I may not want to start writing when I have just awakened. The important thing is to capture the details before I forget them.

Then I pray about the dream.

Sometimes I understand almost immediately what I believe God is communicating.

Other times, it may take hours or days before I understand.

And there have been dreams that I still do not understand.

And you know what?

That is okay.

I do not believe we have to force an interpretation simply because we had a dream.

Sometimes we have to wait.

God’s timing is not always our timing.

There are things we understand immediately, and there are things that become clearer later.

Joseph’s life itself is an example of this.

He received his dreams when he was seventeen, but he did not immediately understand how those dreams would unfold. There was a long process between the dream and its fulfillment.

And while Joseph was going through that process, God was still working.

Don’t Ignore What God May Be Communicating

If you have had a dream that you believe may be significant, don’t simply dismiss it. Write it down. Pray about it. Seek God concerning it.

But at the same time, don’t feel that you have to figure everything out immediately.

Give God room to bring understanding.

And if you are waiting for an answer, wait.

Joseph’s story reminds us that God can reveal something before we understand the process. He can give us a glimpse of what is ahead without giving us every detail.

The same Joseph who received dreams as a teenager eventually found himself in places he never could have imagined.

Yet God was with him through every part of the journey.

That reminds me of something I wrote about bitterness in Joseph’s life. His brothers hurt him deeply, but he did not allow that hurt to define him or determine his response. If you would like to read more about that part of Joseph’s story, you can also read Overcoming Bitterness When You Have Been Hurt.

God was working in Joseph’s life even when Joseph could not see the whole picture.

And perhaps that is what we need to remember.

We may not understand everything God is doing.

We may not understand every dream.

We may not understand every season.

But we can seek Him.

We can pray.

We can wait.

And we can trust Him to give us understanding when He is ready to give it.

My prayer is that this encourages you to pay attention, seek God, and ask Him what He may be communicating to you.

If God speaks through dreams, let us not be so quick to dismiss what we do not understand. Instead, let us bring it to Him.

He is the One who gives wisdom and understanding.

And sometimes, the answer may come immediately.

Sometimes it may take days.

And sometimes we may have to wait much longer.

But we do not have to be afraid of waiting.

We can trust God with what we do not yet understand.