The reality of dreams

“At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’” 1 Kings 3:5

My father was a good dad. As a young boy, I loved him, admired him and trusted him. And as a seven-year old boy, I also lost him; he died of a heart attack one summer Sunday morning. Though there were plenty of happy moments in the growing-up years that followed, they emerged against a backdrop of emptiness. My father was gone and a great deal of my childlike trust in God might as well have been buried with him.

But years later, when I was 23, God gave me a dream. In my dream, my father was with me again and I as bringing him up to date on what had happened in my life ... that I had gone to college, graduated and had launched my career. With undivided attention, he listened with interest, pride and affirmation. So when I decided also to fill him in on my brother’s and sister’s lives, he said, “I know; you don't have to tell me.” A bit confused, I paused and said, “I just wanted you to know what else has happened since you died.” Then with his assuring grin and peaceful blue eyes, he replied simply, “I never died.” I immediately awoke – tears trickling out of the corners of my eyes – with the warmth of my father's love and a heart daring to hope again in God and his promise of eternal life.

Sometimes, God speaks to us through dreams because, in them, he has our complete attention. All other voices are quelled and it’s an honest encounter of two, each with the clarity and focus of undivided attention. Such was the case one night as Solomon slept …

God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. Had it not been in a dream, who knows how Solomon would have responded amid the distractions of his kingly responsibilities. But in the quiet of sleep, Solomon was amazingly transparent with himself and with his God, for, though dreaming, he articulated a simple and clear reality: God had been kind to his father, David ... David had been faithful, righteous and upright in heart ... Solomon's ascension to the throne was out of God's kindness to David ... and Solomon was no David. “But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties,” he confessed. “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

And how did God respond to Solomon's humble heart and unfiltered honesty? Just as he had intended. For God poured out upon Solomon so much wisdom and discernment that “there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” And since Solomon asked not for his own good, but the good of “this great people,” God also gave him riches and honor beyond all other kings of his lifetime.

When we humbly and honestly come before our God – whether in a dream or fully awake – he listens with interest, pride and affirmation. And when we take time to still our hearts before him, God eagerly, lovingly and faithfully replies to a listening audience of one.