I softly say a silent prayer like dreamers do.
Then I fall asleep to dreams, my dreams of you.
Roy Orbison
Yesterday I had one, and today I had another; extremely vivid dreams. Moreso than any dreams I’ve had in a long time. The first included one of my grandfathers who passed away a few years ago. He wasn’t exactly in the dream, though. Here’s what I remember about it:
In the dream, I was thinking about the temptation of lust that men face, that I face. It can be a tough thing to keep under control and then my thoughts turned to my grandfather who served in World War II. While at war, he was away from my grandmother but then when he came home, the war ended for him and he was able to be with her again. It was clear to me that this was symbolic of the war I face spiritually. There is an enemy with weapons of war all around me, and yet I must win the war so we can be with the woman I love (wife, girlfriend, or the hope of either in the future). I also heard my grandfather’s voice in a greeting he left as an outgoing message on his answering machine.
The answering machine part was out of left field, but it was so nice to hear his voice again. It was just as real as if he were sitting next to me right now as I type! I don’t understand dreams because of things like that, how real they are in the moment. Anyway, I woke up with such clarity about this battle I face. And to be fair, women probably face something similar, but I wouldn’t dare try to speak on their behalf!
A couple of Bible verses that relate to this dream:
“Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.” Deut. 3:22
“But I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” Romans 7:23
Today’s dream was about moving to a new city. Not the first I’ve had about such a subject, but here’s how this one went…
I had already decided to move from Nashville to somewhere north. But in the pit of my stomach this choice felt like the wrong one. Like, things here are building into something great, and I’m about to leave it all behind. Though it felt wrong, everything was already packed and a trailer was already hooked up to a Jeep Wrangler. My departure was mere minutes away when my Mom asked something about my leaving and I started crying. I asked for a particular DVD that I needed to watch in some sort of attempt to confirm or challenge my resolve to leave. I remember the scenes I watched confirming that I needed to stay, but wondering how I’d go about breaking the news.
I woke up before officially deciding to stay or go, but knowing deep down that I would stay. And thank the Lord for that! I love it here, and don’t want to leave, even in dreams… which is kind of funny because I had a powerful dream before I decided to move here saying almost the exact opposite: it’s OK to move to Nashville. That dream was over 12 years ago now, and represents part of a very important time in my life.
A couple of verses that relate this dream:
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21
“Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42:3
Anyway, there’s more to think about with both dreams but what I’m taking from them now is that I’m right where I’m supposed to be, here in Nashville, even though it’s a couple of states away from my family who I love so much… and that there’s a war going on for the attention of men. Will I suit up and fight?
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 