Dreamers

 For the past many years I have been a member of a Poetry Forum which consists of amateur writers from all over the world who post their poems for others to read and comment on.  Through posting my own scribblings there I have come to know a few fellow poets, and a few other christians.  A recent arrival to the Forum is Jonathan Budd,  a minister with a real gift with words who, yesterday, posted this sonnet.  Ive asked if I can share it here because I thought it was wonderful

The Dream

As tonight I slept there came to me
A message from a voice within a dream.
Both clear and unexpected, I could see
No way I'd misinterpreted its theme.
The voice like light refracting through a bell
Oblique, and yet direct in the same sound
Rang true. It proved as lie things I knew well
And guided me to see my future bound.

There was no cheap betrayal of our vow
No wayward time in someone else’s bed
My thoughts of separation end here, now
That human and divine are inly wed.

It is no dream as dreaming I heard tell
That they shall call ‘our’ son Immanuel.

I've always thought Joseph was a rather remarkable man.  We don't know much about him, but we can surmise he was Godly, honourable, hard working and obedient.   And he paid attention to his dreams.

Do you pay attention to yours?    

I have had a few very memorable dreams in my life, and more than a few times when I have dreamed about something or someone which later featured in my waking life.  Nothing life changing or important, but weird and random things - almost as if God was test driving my dream life, getting me in practice for saying something important.  ( Then I had children, had no sleep for seven years and pretty much stopped dreaming cos I was so permanently exhausted!!!)   Recently I was clearing out a drawer and came across a dream someone had had about me and had written down for me.  Their dream was about my paintings.  It was a very encouraging message and re-discovering it the other day made me think that its probably time I picked up a paintbrush again. 

Dreams are often uncomfortable.  They are symbolic and strange and fleeting.  We can wake up sometimes with just the hint or suggestion that something has been going on which is just out of reach. But not many of us will have the sort of dreams Joseph had. Angelic visitations and direct, culture-trashing instructions.  I suppose the more crucially important the dream, the more literal and direct , real and memorable it will be.  As we all head back into lockdown and working from home, as there is less traffic on the streets and perhaps more opportunity to grab an afternoon nap - let's ask God to speak to us as we sleep. Let's ask Him to give us dreams about our futures, to reveal strategy for the church, to show us where the enemy is planning to advance....if we do not ask we do not have.  Keep a notepad by the bed and be expectant that the God who spoke through dreams all the time in the Bible still speaks today.