It had a message for me, and I recognize that I am now fairly along in it's timeline.
Now, while I regard my dreams (at least some of a certain special quality) as authentic messages for me, they are never for public consumption, and are not prophecy for, or to the world.
I don't often talk about my dreams openly, because usually if I do, then all manner of yahoos jump in with their interpretation, or criticism about dreams being too vague, or the symbolism too weird to be understood, or figments of the imagination and meaning nothing really but physiological responses to the previous days stresses, etc, expressing a verbal litany of things and opinions I didn't ask for, or don't really want to hear about.
Those complaints are not my problem, as I know for certain what my dreams usually mean quite quickly, and which ones are really just brain idle.
Sharing a dream often seems like either an open invitation for purists and legalists to assault your character and tear you down, or the other extreme of those who would use your dream and try to manipulate it to be about something they want to be true or they want to make seem like it predicts, stealing away the exact and original meaning that was meant for the one who had the dream.
They can never know the meaning as it was not a message for them, nor did it use symbols or circumstances they have reference for like the one who had the dream. The same symbol in one man's dream, has different meaning in another's. God uses what will get your attention and mean a certain thing to you in your dreams, that has no bearing in another's relationship with the Lord. It's a totally discrete, unique, and proprietary lexicon for each person in a dream language.
So then, you might be asking me why now then, I would bring this up in the public eye in a blog. And the answer to that as always when I post something here, is that I felt moved to do so.
I've been at the bottom of a well as of late.
Isolated, overwhelmed by real life, treading water, and last but not least, like many of you, under attack.
It's a multi-frontal assault on all sides with different tactics all converging to bring me down, trying to steal my joy, kill my hope, and destroy me by insidiously trying to use me to do it.
There's a thing about being at the bottom of a well though, if you can keep yourself encouraged enough to recognize it. And that is the quietness and solitude. The ability to be able to focus in the silence of it, to remember the things of the past that you have learned from, the lessons taught in the affliction of the trials, the affirmation of God's blessing and wisdom, and presence, and I believe even in the dreams He sends.
He shows us our path, our future, our ultimate and eternal victory, He encourages us, He edifies us. He shows us it is not over, we will make it, we will come through.
The gift He has given us in both Salvation and in His own Spirit given to us, He could do no other. He has not brought us this far, only to forsake us and give up on us. He's already won, He's already paid the price. We're just catching up to Him in time, and eventually, time will run out and mean absolutely nothing to us anymore.
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The Second Hand Store
In a good friend's store (He owns it) working with, and for Him, to help Him. My wife and other friends are in there too, doing various things.The store is full of different things, like a thrift store but the items are not as old and used as you would find in a thrift store. There is nothing in it that is high tech like PCs or TVs or electronics of any kind.
I immediately take notice after overhearing this, and openly call my good friend the store owner over and tell him what is going on. Explaining what this other guy is trying to do. And it is an open conversation with all of us there in ear shot.
Nothing is said out loud by the store owner (my friend) but somehow we all know His decision is to leave it all behind and leave the store together.
I have a moment of anxiety about my wife and an income, but am pleased to see she also is ready to leave.
The other guy who tried to get the meeker friend to do an inventory walks away while all this has happened shaking his head in feigned disappointment.
After we leave the store and make our way towards some other location, we are walking along a section that is either a road or a river or a canal bank.
Across from this is a housing section and just above the houses are mid air displays by laser, of trees and sky that overlap (not too well either with double instances of trees offset and overlaps that are not properly registered with each other).
They flicker some times, and the animation of clouds and trees blowing are jittery. Though it is not very good, the equipment being used is very high tech. It is obvious that something is being hidden from view behind them.
After this we all are approaching a bridge across the road/river/canal which has curved to the right in front of us, yet we can't really see the bridge.
As those ahead of me (knowing the store owner friend and a few others are in that part of the group) begin to cross the bridge, they appear to be walking on air.
I look down at my feet and my feet disappear into the "seemingly" empty air. I tap my feet a bit and it is like splashing in a puddle, my feet show up again, and then disappear back into the air. I then realize this is the same high tech laser imaging being used previously.
As we continue forward across the bridge I get yet another moment of anxiety about if maybe the bridge is out ahead and we can't see it. It only lasts a moment though and we continue forward.
If I am to place a marker in this timeline of this dream to say where I (we all) are now currently, I would say it's just after leaving the store, and while we are all walking the bank of the canal.
This dream (for me) teaches several things. The most important for me is the lesson of Priorities.
To stay focused on the One (Store Owner) and follow His lead, whether to do the work assigned or to exit the store on His direction. The Store Owner is obviously Jesus.
Here is where we see the faith of the believers. Exchanging the world for the Higher things (Walking away from the store when the Store Owner says the work is finished). The Store itself and the items in it, are His creation, the world, the people in it.
There is also Discernment being shown here by the juxtaposition of material versus spiritual. The whole path of the walk from start to finish, is from the visible, to the invisible. The Road/River/Canal Bank represents the flow of life in the temporal.
There is Discernment in the difference of true believers, in the action of defense of the meek here in this example, versus a Judas typology, in the person who tried to bully the meek worker, with the focus on "inventory" which represents the lust of avarice and legalism.
These items in this store are no mere physical objects, but represent opportunities in the form of personal lives, to which is His work, and by His direction, our work as well.
There is Deception shown also in the high tech displays showing both a fake world on flat screens, and hiding something behind them. There is also the lack of High tech in the store
On a personal level, as I know this dream was given to me in that fashion, I experienced as a participant, a couple moments of doubt. Quickly recovered both times, and that has to do with faith and focus on the One, the Store Owner, Jesus.
I'm very comforted by the way this dream ends, and I can't really call it a Rapture Dream per se', but "Walking on air in the clouds" comes pretty darn close. ⛅
Grace and Peace to you in Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thank you,Jack. This was timely for me. — encouraging/confirming.
ReplyDeleteWith the text next to the second picture up to the end of the section (blue line), you describe exactly what I am also experiencing, with the difference that you can express it, while I can hardly find words since my mother's death. The outside becomes too much, so that I often take refuge in the Word of God and literally cling to it.
ReplyDeleteYour dream is very vividly described, as is what you recognize from it for yourself - setting priorities. - In the last few weeks it seemed to me that someone else was setting the priorities. Doors closed as if a job was "done", as if there weren't many more doors, except for the one from which we hear the call "Come up here". - It is good to read about your faith, which does not waver despite the many storms. The Lord will stand by us and give us strength for the next step. - I'm not afraid of what's to come, but like you, I long for our home in heaven; your dream hit it beautifully, for we will soon be walking on clouds.
Thank you for your poetic text, brother, which has also been a comfort to me. May the Lord protect you and all those you love!
Cora