OPENING THE DOOR TO DIVINE DREAMS

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17, quoting Joel 2:28–32)

My friend Jonathan grew up in a religious tradition that didn’t make space for the possibility of the Spirit speaking through dreams. He was convinced God didn’t work that way—until someone challenged him to consider that maybe the Spirit wanted to speak to him through dreams too.

“What do you have to lose?” his friend asked. “What if you try it for a few weeks? Each night when you lie down to sleep, pray and ask the Spirit to speak to you in the night.”

Though skeptical, Jonathan decided to experiment. During the first few nights, nothing happened. But then, to his astonishment, not only did he begin having dreams, but also for the first time in his life he could remember them. He started keeping a dream journal by his bed and recording each dream.

Soon his dreams began focusing on other people. In one dream, he warned his friend Emma about a man pursuing her. The next morning, Emma texted Jonathan out of the blue. When he called and shared his dream, she was stunned—she’d been dating someone she felt she should break up with despite his persistent pursuit. She had been praying for guidance, and Jonathan’s dream provided the confirmation she needed.

Jonathan’s experience demonstrates a simple but profound truth: Sometimes we miss the Spirit’s dream language simply because we haven’t asked to hear it. As Jesus taught, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

The beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit prompting us through dreams is that it’s entirely a gift. We can’t make ourselves dream or force an encounter with God. We can’t work harder to earn it or predict when it will happen. These tender encounters with the Spirit don’t occur every night or in every season. All we can do is ask the Holy Spirit to communicate with us in the night and expect that the Spirit will.

The Bible promises that in the last days, the Spirit will be poured out, and dreams and visions will increase (Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:17–18). This outpouring isn’t limited to a select few—it’s available to “all people” who are open to receiving it (Joel 2:28).

Perhaps like Jacob after his dream of the heavenly ladder, you might wake with the impression of a dream still on your mind and say, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16 ESV).

Today’s Challenge:

For the next two weeks, I invite you to experiment with these practices. Each night before going to sleep, pray a simple prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to you through your dreams. Keep a notebook or your phone beside your bed to record any dreams immediately upon waking, before they fade from memory. Watch expectantly for the Spirit’s voice and share what you learn with trusted friends who can help you discern what God might be saying.

Today’s Reflection Questions:

1. What hesitations do you have about inviting the Spirit to speak through your dreams? What do you have to lose by trying?
2. How might you prepare your heart and mind each night to be more receptive to the Spirit’s voice?
3. If you’ve experienced divine dreams before, what patterns have you noticed in how God communicates with you this way?
4. Who in your life could be a good “dream discernment partner” to help you process what the Spirit might be saying?

Prayer for Today: Spirit of the Living God, I invite You to speak to me in the night hours. Open my spiritual ears to hear You while I sleep. Help me remember and discern what You show me. I surrender my skepticism and doubt, asking for the faith to recognize Your voice in new ways. Like Samuel, may I learn to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”—even in my dreams. Amen.

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Content for this reading plan derived from The God You Need to Know: Experience the Holy Spirit's Power and Presence Today by Margaret Feinberg.

Margaret Feinberg speaks at churches and conferences and hosts the popular podcast The Joycast. Her books and Bible studies, including Taste and See, Scouting the Divine, and More Power To You, have sold more than one million copies and received critical acclaim. Christianity Today named her as one of fifty women most shaping the church today.

Margaret savors life with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Zoom.