TOTAL TRUST

As we begin the year 2012 as I was typing this blog post, I believe the Lord is calling us to a place of total trust in Him!
Maybe you've never thought, "God wants to communicate with me!" I am not a great prophet, a King Solomon, or a Queen Esther who saved her people from genocide.  The bible is full of dreams and visions sent to men and women in order to establish communication with God and between people.  Understanding their pictorial, symbolic, language can easier than you think.  Like learning any new language the more you remember your dreams and write them down, the more sense they make and the more proficient you become in interpreting them.  Dreams are often full of common place symbols of your life.  If you access the Holy Spirit, He will help you understand them.  The Spirit will be your teacher.  Other help can come from knowledgeable friends who listen and help you understand.  The best help of all, comes when you access the bible the teachings of Jesus, and knowing Him, will assure knowing what your dream says.  It could contain warnings, prophecy, a nudge in the right direction.  It could teach you to make good decisions, or give you the affirmation you need.  Whatever it is, the pictorial dream language may at first seem confusing, scary, senseless, but can become an important message from on high, one that changes your life.

AN EXAMPLE: A dream I had some years ago:

I am floating on a narrow river on a small raft.  The raft is made of rough cut logs, bound together by thick cords.  A heap of personal belongings, covered by a waterproof tarp is roped to one corner of the raft.  I can’t see what is under the cover, but I know that it is necessities - food, water, a blanket, matches, flashlight, etc.  I don’t have any interest in undoing the bundle. I am alone, very alone, on this small raft.  There is no room for other people. In the center of the raft is a long, solid, wooden pole.  It is higher than my head and firmly attached to the raft.  It should stay standing even in a storm.  I have no fear that it will fall down on me, or unbalance the raft. But I’m apprehensive about traveling on the river.  No one will be with me for companionship, help, or comfort.  I am busy checking my surroundings.  All of a sudden I realize with great emotion, there is no way for me to steer this raft! - No one pole, no oars, no paddle.  What will happen if I hit a protruding rock? - If there are torrents of raging white water ahead? Can I survive without a steering mechanism? I seem to be desperately shouting out these questions as though someone can hear me and will answer.  I begin crying. Then a quiet, authoritative voice says:
“Yes, you have nothing to steer this raft with.  You don’t need anything. You have ME. You won’t be grounded against the shore, I will get you around the rocks, I will take you over the rapids.  I am all you need. - But you must cling to the wooden post in the center of the raft.  I again access the sturdiness of the post.  It’s attached firmly and has a cross post near the top. - I wake up no longer weeping, no longer filled with anxiety.  It is daylight.

I believe the interpretation of this dream is simple, not complex.  It helped to change some of my own attitudes and took care of some of my fears.  Later, the Lord gave me another dream, a continuation of this one.  I experienced the river trip itself and an unforgettable ending as we finished the journey.  This will be on my next post for the blog.