God's Dream Symbols
by Barbie Breathitt
Dreams are God's symbolic parables of the night. He reveals
ourselves to us through the symbols He directs into our dreams. It
has been given to us to understand the mysteries or symbolic representation in
our dreams.
"I have also spoken by the
prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness
of the prophets." Hosea 12:10
Dream symbols are things or objects that represent something or someone
else. They can also be material objects representing
We must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the correct interpretation for
the symbols that appear in dreams.
“And the disciples came
and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said
to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’" Matthew 13:10-11
Each person will develop a different dream vocabulary and understanding
of the symbol's meaning. In dreams and visions, the symbols that are
chosen are not usually literal or actually representing themselves, but are a
shadow of, or the representation of, a person, place or thing.
“Then the angel who
talked with me came out and said to me, ‘Lift your eyes now, and see what this
is that goes forth.’ So I asked, ‘What is it?’ And he said, ‘It is a
basket that is going forth.’ He also said, ‘This is their resemblance
throughout the earth: Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman
sitting inside the basket’; then he said, ‘This is Wickedness!’
“And he thrust her down
into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. Then I raised my eyes
and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for
they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between
earth and heaven.” Zechariah 5:5-10
The dreamer needs to be completely honest with himself and think of what
that particular symbol means or represents to him.
Symbols that appear in our dreams are spiritual indicators of our current
level of Godly intimacy and relationship, as well our natural state of
affairs. Why did the Holy Spirit choose this particular symbol to
represent that specific meaning in your dream?
“But this is that which
was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days,
saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams:” Acts 2:16-17 KJV
What is the function
assigned to a particular symbol in your dream?
What is the significance of the size of the dream symbol being larger or
smaller than usual? Dream symbols communicate to the dreamer through
the emotional feeling they provoke or ideas and activities they
inspire. Some people are epic dreamers while others dream short
narratives − the length of the dream is not as important as the secrets it
reveals.
To understand the symbolic language of dreams, we have to look past the
surface to find the buried treasures. John 20 tells us that some
believe only when they are able to clearly see, firmly touch, and feel their
surroundings. Jesus said it is the person who believes without
clearly seeing that is blessed.
“The other disciples
therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless
I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of
the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’
“And after eight days His
disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’
“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach
your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it
into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’
“And Thomas answered and
said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas,
because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed.’"John 20:25-29
When we spend time with God asking Him to reveal to us the meanings of
the dreams He has given, the process of discovery and searching out the answers
enables us to retain more understanding of the symbolic vocabulary He uses.
The symbolic language of dreams requires us to be totally dependent upon
the Holy Spirit for the understanding and meaning of the symbols that appear in
our dreams. Some useful tools that will help you in the process of
discovering symbolic meanings are the Bible, encyclopedias, Biblical Imagery
Dictionaries, Christian dream books, dream symbol cards, and, of course,
Internet Google searches.
Animals in Dreams
Understanding the meanings of the symbols that appear in our dreams is
essential to deriving the correct interpretation. Without gathering
the keys and clues the symbols give us, we will never unlock the sealed
mysteries that lie within the dream.
However, a proper application and understanding of the symbol
Animals frequently appear in our dreams. Some animal symbols
invoke warm feelings of love and tenderness while other animal symbols thrust
fear and panic upon us.
Questions to ask about
the animals in your dreams
Is the animal in my dream
domesticated or wild?
Am I afraid of, or
threatened by, this animal?
What action or role did
the animal play in my dream?
What are the
characteristics of the animal? For example, a fox is cunning and sly.
Is the animal in my dream my pet?
People in Dreams
People that we know and love often play leading roles in our night
visions. We are often surprised to see the faces of those that have
People that we vaguely recognize, don't know, fear, or admire also appear
in our dreams to bring us messages or insights into ourselves. God
often uses other people in our dreams to help us see a stronghold or blind spot
that is in our own lives.
If we have a fear of man or suffer from peer pressure and tend to be a
follower instead of a leader of the crowd, our dreams will reflect our concerns
for popular public opinion.
Questions
to ask yourself about the people in your dreams:
Do I know this
person? How well?
What is their
name? What does their name mean?
Is this person in
authority over me?
Am I in authority over
this person?
What do they represent or
symbolize to me?
How would I describe this
person?
What kind of a feeling or
emotion do they stimulate in me?
What type of relationship
do I have or desire with this person?
What characteristic or
dominant trait stands out in this person?
Are they behaving
differently than in real life?
Does their countenance glow or appear to be
supernatural?
Parts of the Anatomy in Dreams
In dreams, our attention can be drawn to certain parts of the body that
are being highlighted or focused upon. These body parts may be
bigger than life or so small they are barely visible. By learning
what the various parts of the anatomy represent symbolically and/or their
functions, we will come up with the proper interpretation of our
dream.
Buildings in Dreams
Buildings play a large part in placing us in the proper timeframe or
contextual setting of the dream. Is the building a house, church,
school, or office building that is in our present or past? Buildings
can often represent the dreamer's life that may be under
Questions
to ask about rooms and buildings:
What is the function or
use of the room or building?
Have you ever seen,
visited, traveled to, worked in, or lived in that building? If so,
when? In the past? Or presently?
On what floor did the
dream take place?
Were there stairs or an
elevator leading up to or down from the room or building?
Were you given a street
number and address?
Do you own the
building?
Objects
in Dreams
Different objects will appear in different dreams but their goal is to
communicate a message to the dreamer.
What does this object
reveal to me through its meaning?
How is this object
used?
Is its color, size or
shape important?
Food Symbols in Dreams:
Everyone would like to believe that they are mature enough to eat meat at
every meal. The truth is most of us would rather be fed milk because it is
less expensive or costly and much easier to digest.
The milk of the Word is easier to understand than the meat of the
Word. We have to continually chew meat in order to properly digest
the deeper meanings, understanding, and application it brings to our lives.
Growing in our understanding of the meaning of symbols God uses to
communicate to us in the night seasons of our life will reveal mysteries giving
us insight into the dream realm of the Spirit.
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible
for you to know Him and experience
an amazing change in your own life by
receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have
separated me from You.
I am truly sorry.
I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and live a
new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was
resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and
reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that according to your Word,
I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do
Your will for the rest of my life.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
Related Posts:
“Be
Thou My Vision” Eleanor
H. Hull
Mary E. Byrne
lyrics
1 Be thou my vision,
O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art -
thou my best thought, by day or by night;
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
naught be all else to me, save that thou art -
thou my best thought, by day or by night;
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom,
and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father; thine own may I be,
thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father; thine own may I be,
thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.
3 Riches I heed not,
nor vain, empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always;
thou and thou only first in my heart,
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
thou mine inheritance, now and always;
thou and thou only first in my heart,
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
4 High King of
heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Barbie Breathitt
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Barbie Breathitt
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