ON THE VANGUARD

THE VOICE IN THE DREAMS
“Yosef said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are the same: God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.’” Genesis 41:25 CJB
“But after [Joseph] had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:20 NIV

I am sure we have all had those dreams before where we aren’t sure whether we are being given a message or if we are just suffering from the affects of pizza. I know I have. It seems like some dreams are just so crazy that there is no way that they can be anything but bad food. Yet there do seem to be those dreams that just leave a feeling that they are not supposed to be ignored. Perhaps you know what I’m talking about. I have had dreams, even fairly recently, where I knew God was speaking something to me. There was a peace, an urgency, and a knowing all at the same time. Right away in those times, I flip on my light, grab for my journal, and write down whatever I can remember. I may not know all the details, but I know it is urgent.
I feel that is what Pharaoh may have felt in Genesis 41. He woke up from having not one, but two urgent dreams telling him the same meaning. The details were hidden from him, but God was just placing things in motion. You see if Pharaoh or the magicians had been able to tell the meaning, Joseph would not have been needed. But God kept the meaning hidden in order to promote Joseph. And that He did. Joseph, summoned by Pharaoh, made it clear that the interpretation to follow would be from Adonai. He also spoke to Pharaoh that the two dreams that had just been shared were the same. God was telling Pharaoh that seven years of abundance were coming, but would be followed by seven years of famine. This paved the way for Joseph to find the promotion that God had been saving for him. It was all in due time and under the right circumstances.
But another man named Joseph, years later, also was spoken to in a dream. For this Joseph, he was the recipient rather than the interpreter. Never the less, an urgent message was given. He was being told that he was to be the physical earthly father of the Messiah. I think we get caught up in reading that Mary was highly favored that we tend to skip over the detail written about Joseph. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man…” God looked at Joseph maybe in the same way as He looked at Noah back in the day. The Christ child was being conceived but the father couldn’t just be any guy just as the mother couldn’t be just any gal. But the point I want to make here is in the dreams. God spoke His news in the dreams. These were not dreams based on spicy food or turned meat. These dreams were the voice of God, Himself, warning, encouraging, and confirming His will.
My advice to you is something I have learned myself. When God speaks, we must listen. He may not always speak the same way, or in an obvious way, but once we see it is Him speaking, we must heed Him. He may chose to speak through dreams, through a burning bush, or through an audible voice, but regardless the means we need to obey the message. Pharaoh had it right, to seek out the interpretation. Joseph had it right, to heed the details in the dream. It would do us well to also seek out what God is telling us, for as with the Egyptians and as with the father of the Messiah, our life may depend on it too.