I had a dream a while back of standing alongside a mighty rushing river, not certain of crossing it… for it was ominous… but being instructed by someone to cross, even as I looked at dead bodies being pulled out of cars that had attempted to cross it.
I was not in a vehicle, but was standing on foot, being told by someone next to me to cross and that there were people along the way to help me, to get to the other side. But I saw no one “out there” to assist me in any way.
Yet I did see all the bodies to my left and right in water ditches being pulled out dead from their cars (it was a ghastly sight in my dream), and I couldn’t, within myself, believe that I could possibly even step into this river with its torrents of water, and even survive, yet alone cross through. All I saw was the power of the river…and questioned then whether to believe “that man” who spoke in my ear, or rather, to go with my gut instinct to stay put.
It wasn’t so much fear of death I had, as I thought it would be foolish of me …especially when I could see the force of that river clearly… and even saw “what happened to the others” who had tried. The river in my dream looked just like the picture that I have included in this post, and it was very deep and wide. I could tell. I could barely see to the other side, and I certainly saw no other people over there waving at me or encouraging me to cross. And where I was, the river was in flood stage… for I was standing IN THE WATER at the edge, in a depth up now past my knees, knowing I’d have to make a decision soon.
SO, THEN, TODAY, in light of this dream I had a while back, while reading scripture, my eyes locked upon a phrase of scripture, which I have “personalized”, for the passage spoke to the fear and questioning I had within, resultant from the dream. And for the record, I rarely dream at all, so I know the Lord was trying to show me, a woman of God, something important. (Please read this whole post, for insights came forth as I pondered, and if you get something from God too, pondering and time brings clarity, I promise you.)
When I go through the waters, He is with me
When I go through the rivers, they will not overflow me.
Isaiah 43:2a
Two words stand out as truths:
- It does not say IF, it says WHEN. In other words, I will indeed have unfamiliar terrain and obstacles on my way through this life. Some small, some great. And evidently, this big river awaits me. (And maybe you all.)
- It says THROUGH…. Not just to, or caught in, or destroyed by…i.e., all will be alright, and I will get through the circumstance(s).
The KEY… is His presence WITH ME.
YET WHEN I must face the rushing water, seems to be a mystery.
Are you depending upon His Presence to get YOU through too?
I still don’t know really the exact interpretation of my dream, but I believe from this verse, at least I’ll decide to trust this scriptural Word of Promise, and I will go through the rushing waters. Without a vehicle…maybe simply “diving in!”
WHEN, I know it is the time to step in, and it is the voice of the Spirit I hear within, that is. Trusting the voice of God within, not even the voice of another telling me to do something. For you see, in the dream, my own heart was telling me something, but I was instructed to do what this person was telling me to do.
So, I was STOPPED. Whilst trying TO DISCERN. Still am. I ask questions like:
Do I stand alone?
or Do I just jump into a raging river, even knowing its danger?
Is this blind faith? Or is it stupidity?
You see, IF the man in my dream telling me to cross was a type of the Holy Spirit in interpretation, then surely, I would get to the other side…and it would be wise to promptly obey, no matter what I saw or perceived, I suppose…
But if it was MAN, telling me to do something God was not in, then I would be utterly DESTROYED, as were all these people “dead in their vehicles” and this was more the perception of this particular dream. Without thinking they must have listened to “that man”, and it cost them their lives, I reason.
SO, I am still pondering all this, yet am sharing it for you to ponder too. Somehow, I feel it is for the body of Christ and not just me, as a lot of what I receive from the Lord is.
To conclude: My prayer is that you will all remain SAFE, abiding in His Presence, and not depending on “other vehicles” to get you to your destination…for in my dream, the people in their vehicles were the dead ones being pulled out. I seemed to “know” that only as I was depending on HIM and HIS PRESENCE with me alone, could I dare to make it.
Our trust MUST BE IN GOD….and NOT IN MAN… NOR IN MAN’S ORGANIZATIONS (Were organizations the vehicles? I’m still pondering why I wasn’t in a vehicle and yet was being told to cross; but they had been in cars and were all being pulled out dead.)
May God give us all understanding of what His Will is, as we approach the rivers in our individual lives, and as the Church faces its own mighty rushing river ahead. Perhaps this dream was meant to reveal the complexity of decisions that may be ahead for us all. I’m glad the Lord is faithful! I’ll be counting on that! And on Him!
Ephesians 5:17 says it all:
“Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”