The headlining news of the week has been Winter Storm Jonas as it moves into dump historical amounts of snow, sleet and ice on the East Coast. While many parts of the Mid-Atlantic will be significantly affected, that may not be the case here in Virginia Beach. The school system dutifully exacted a preemptive cancellation of the last 3 hours of school for today. Without a doubt that means nothing will happen. Ahh, the beach life.
I often see symbolic meaning in large events like these. Today, I couldn’t help thinking about God’s purposes as Jonas dumps a blanket of snow over Washington, DC, New York City and the surrounding areas. We are going to do a dream interpretation exercise. Let’s pretend that someone had a dream about Winter Storm Jonas coming to town and see what we can find out.
We are going to lay some groundwork first. Dreams are symbolic. When you dream that your teeth are falling out, you probably don’t need to schedule a dentist appointment. Or if you have the fairly common “standing in front of a large group of people in your underpants” dream, do NOT take that as a sign that you need to show off your new Superman underoos to your co-workers.
Think of dreams as parables in your sleep. Jesus’ disciples complained about not understanding His stories due to the symbolism He used. One major advantage that we have over the disciples is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us. They didn’t have that bonus until after Jesus took a sky elevator back to heaven. Spend some time looking at how Jesus used his parables. God will often use similar elements in our own dreams.
Another way to better understand hidden meanings in dreams is to study how the Bible uses numbers, colors, similes and all types of metaphorical language. For instance, what’s the Bible say about snow?
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18
Clearly snow is symbolic for the redemption of sins which also gives us a hint that white is associated with purity. Can you see the message that is beginning to come out of our Jonas dream?
God uses symbolism that is unique to us. One amazing thing about dreams is that God tailors each dream for us personally. There are things that may show up your dream that mean one thing to you and could mean something totally different to me.
Names are important. In the Bible names were tied to the destiny of the individual bearing them. God changed Abram which meant “exalted father” to Abraham meaning “father of a multitude.” He did this to constantly remind Abraham of the promise He gave to him in Genesis 17 – “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you.”
Pay attention to the names in dreams. In our made up dream we have Jonas which is derived from Jonah, meaning “dove.” Anybody remember what a dove symbolizes in the Bible? If you said the Holy Spirit, you win an all-expense paid trip to destination of your choice!!! You will be paying all the expenses. We know that Jonah was sent by God to bring redemption to Ninevah. We have found two more clues! Elementary, my dear Watsons! Now, we have the pieces we need to bring this home.
If someone came to me with the Winter Storm Jonas dream, this is how I would interpret it: God is moving by His Spirit to bring redemption to the political and financial centers of America. Jonah tried to run away from his purpose but God used a storm to set him back on track. God’s desire is to redeem the purposes of America’s leaders just like he did with Jonah.
The Bible is our handbook for life, and it should be the same for our dreams. If the meaning that you pull out of your dream does not line up with the Word of God, scrap it. Keep praying, searching and seeking the wisdom God. Keep in mind that at times He will hide the meaning of certain things from us. Remember, it’s about developing a relationship with Papa God before anything else.
P.S. I hope you already got your bread and milk because it’s gone now.