Understanding Your Dreams: God’s Picture Language

Old Treasures on Tuesdays 👑

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings” (Prov. 25:2, NIV).

As we continue our study, today we look at some of the mechanics of interpreting our God-breathed dreams. These are some of the tools to use as you “search out the matter.” Proverbs 25:2 says that doing so is a glory He has granted to us – remember, He has made us kings and priests! (Rev. 5:10). Our verse for today also reveals to us that part of God’s glory is to conceal these matters. What does this mean? That He loves to bury treasures so that we can have the joy of discovering them! Read on, for some wonderful “digging” devices…

23) Look for Holy Spirit to use common expressions and symbols. He loves to incorporate aspects of your own culture and world into the dreams He creates for you. Here are a few examples:

– A rabbit: might symbolize rapid multiplication, based on the expression, “multiplying like rabbits.”
– A dove: often symbolizes peace.
– A slice of cake or pie on a plate: may be referring to something being easy. “It’s a piece of cake.” “Easy as pie.”
– A spiderweb: could represent deceit, reflecting the saying, “a web of lies.”
– A kettle of boiling water: might mean someone is in trouble, or “in hot water.”

24) He also enjoys using plays on words. If you do some study into the original languages of the Bible, you will find He has long been fond of this literary device. For example, He showed Jeremiah an almond tree branch and asked him, “What do you see?” When the prophet answered, God said, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled” (Jer. 1:12).

Without examining the heart language Jeremiah spoke, this wouldn’t make much sense. So we take a closer look, and we find out that “almond tree” and “watching” sound very similar in the Hebrew. Holy Spirit was already using plays on words thousands of years ago! Here are a few modern examples:

– Coins: “Change” is coming.
– A porpoise: God has a “purpose.”
– A bear next to someone: “Bear with” her. Be patient.
– Dawn detergent on a person: It “dawned” on him. A lightbulb moment.

25) Try out a dream dictionary. As I mentioned previously, we don’t want to default to leaning too heavily on these. Stringing together a bunch of symbols pulled from dictionaries certainly won’t provide the “spirit of revelation” that we need for an accurate interpretation (Eph. 1:17). However, as a supplement, they do have a place. I have frequently looked up meanings for colors, numbers, and animals in this kind of resource. Here are a few that I own and enjoy:

– Illustrated Dictionary of Dream Symbols by Dr. Joe Ibojie
– Dreams Dictionary by John Paul Jackson
– Biblical Dream Symbols Dictionary by Tyler Wolfe

That’s not all, folks! I have a few more posts in my spirit yet about the fascinating subject of dreams. See you this coming Tuesday for the next one!

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Has Holy Spirit ever used a play on words in His personal communication with you? I’d love to hear about it!