I’m going to wonder a little out loud, if that’s alright with you.
Thanks.
I wonder if there’s more to the “dreams and visions” passage than meets the eye?
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29 ESV)
I wonder, are the dreams and visions the result of the Spirit’s outpouring, or the evidence of it?
If someone dreams God’s dreams, or sees with God’s eyes, are they filled with the Spirit of God?
I wonder. Don’t you?
But what benefit does anyone receive by dreaming along with God? What value is there in seeing through God’s eyes?
And what’s the big deal about the male and female servants receiving an outpouring of God’s Spirit?
Think with me…what if each of us, every single person on planet earth, began to dream and envision things that were in agreement with God’s will?
This world would drastically change.
For the better.
In Genesis 6, God “saw that everything they (mankind) thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5 NLT). They weren’t dreaming God’s dreams or looking at things through His eyes.
They were diametrically opposed to everything God is and stands for. They were “filled” with the spirit belonging to the god of THIS world.
They were “dreaming” and “envisioning” in accordance with their evil imaginations, and things kept getting worse and worse.
But God promised that a change was coming.
And that change is here!
In the Old Testament, only those who were kings, prophets, or priests could be anointed by the Holy Spirit. Never could you expect to see ordinary people anointed by God, and DEFINITELY not a male or female slave.
But now God has promised to pour out His Spirit upon whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord.
His Spirit enables us to dream, to envision, to see His Kingdom come, and His will done on earth – just as it is in Heaven.
I wonder what would happen if we’d focus less on the dreams and visions themselves, and more on seeing things through God’s eyes; His point of view?
I wonder if we’d see more Kingdom business accomplished, and less fussing and fighting among the “Spirit-filled”?
Because if we aren’t dreaming His dreams, or seeing His visions, what difference are we making in the earth?
And are we really filled with God’s Spirit?
I wonder.
Jan Grace 