The future is still unwritten, but I know that God will continue to show up and to comfort my heart, just as he will for you. He may not show up in visions and dreams — instead, it might be a scripture or his still, small voice — but rest assured, He is speaking, and the deeper you search for him, you will surely find him (Jer. 29:13).
Photo by Javardh
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
Hi friends! We didn’t expect to write a part 4 of this series, but there’s more to share!
So far, we have covered the scriptural basis for dreams, visions and prophecy. Today, we’ll ground ourselves in some more Biblical truth about prophecy and then I’ll share some of my personal prophetic visions as examples of how God speaks in this day through prophetic revelation.
Before we go any further, we want to note that God speaks to everyone differently. To some, he may speak through scripture or through a still, small whisper to our spirits. To others, that whisper may come in the form of a heart knowing or conviction, without words. To others, God may speak through creation. And to those who have the gift of intercessory prayer, like my Mom, God may speak in miracles and answered prayers.
If you don’t have prophetic visions or revelation, that is okay! God gives different spiritual gifts to all believers, and these gifts intersect with our natural gifts so we can lift up and encourage the world and the body of Christ in ways that only each of us can. As scripture says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Your spiritual gifts and natural gifts are unique and purposed.
Let’s jump in by looking at Acts 10!
Peter’s Vision
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
Unfolding the truth
Historically, in the Old Testament, certain animals were considered unclean to the Jewish people. In the vision Peter receives on the rooftop, God literally unfolds a blanket of unclean animals and tells Peter not to call them unclean.
Immediately following the vision, while still pondering what it meant, Simon Peter is sent to a Gentile (someone who is not Jewish) called Cornelius who has found favor with God. It is not until he meets Cornelius, and learns that God has called him to a Gentile’s home, that Simon Peter understands the vision and the words, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
In the vision, God revealed the truth that the Gospel of Good News is for Gentiles as well as the Jewish people. God is saying the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is for everyone and all nations.
A few things we can learn from this vision:
+ God, being the creative author of life and the artist we know him to be, often speaks in imagery and metaphor
+ We don’t always know the meaning of the vision until it is fulfilled, but the vision is sent to confirm something that is to be known at a future time
+ Per last week’s post on prophecy by Pam Bierwagen, the vision is given to edify, exhort or to console — We can see from the vision and its fulfillment that it does all three, following the Biblical footprint for prophecy
Visions and prophecy today — Some real-life examples
Double confirmation
Sometimes, we are praying over decisions that we’d like to be extra sure we hear God’s voice clearly on. Just as when God confirmed to Cornelius and Simon Peter that each man was to be in each other’s company, my Mom and I have had a few similar experiences.
One time, I was praying over where to move. I kept hearing from God that there would be a house open for rent that my mom would find, and my mom was hearing there was a house, too. With my move deadline quickly approaching, I had gone as far as putting a deposit down on an apartment when my mom heard from a landlord that the house she’d seen months ago was available for rent, and hers was the only number the landlord had saved. Sometimes, God keeps us out on the ledge waiting just until the right moment and then he comes through. We can trust that his words are true- especially when they are given with double confirmation. I had the pleasure of living in that house for three years.
Another time, a dear friend had advised me to get a spiritual mentor, and I was praying for the name of the person I should mentor with. I asked my Mom to pray for the name, too. After praying separately, we each heard the same name, and this person’s mentoring was instrumental in guiding me through deep spiritual healing.
Vehicle in water
As I’ve shared on 3 Strands before, I’ve had several job breaks over the years. Incidentally, these job breaks and transitions have each been preceded by visions of a vehicle and water- where the vehicle either drowns, nearly-drowns or floats with me in it. These visions have confirmed in my spirit that the job changes were coming, thus edifying me about future events. Over time, after reading online about what a drowning car has meant to other people, and through my own experiences that have each preceded a job change or transition, I know that a car driving into water means change is coming.
Leaving a job
A few years ago, it was time to leave a job. Sometimes, you can see the writing on the wall and know the way the culture or role is changing is no longer a fit. After making the decision to leave I saw this vision:
+ I left some activity to make sticky rice noodles (I know, weird, right?)
+ I took a speedboat to my parents house (the speedboat was on their pond)
+ I landed in my parents’ living room with my family gathered. My brother was playing trumpet, and my Dad and a few friends from real life were gathered: one friend was a recruiter, the other friend was a salesperson, and the third person, my Dad, works in IT.
This dream, when I began to unpack it, held significant meaning for me, because God was showing me my next step before I had any idea what it was. I was off work for about four months when my last company recruited me for a role ultimately touching aspects of HR and Technology Sales. I landed in a technical sales engineering role with coworkers who quickly became family, and the family gathering in my dream meant a realization of my dreams and a better fit in real life. It was a celebration.
So- what about the sticky rice noodles and speed boat? Well, after some googling, I learned that the sticky rice noodles can mean imagining new possibilities, and the speedboat meant a fast-track to the job that was a better fit and moving in the direction of my dreams.
While I, like Simon Peter, didn’t know the vision’s meaning until I got to my new company, the vision did edify, exhort, and console once I started working there.
Planes
In 2011, I had a dream I was on a plane that crash landed in the field next door to my parents’ house. Shortly after, I found myself in a situation where I had to make an emergency, unplanned move from Ohio to Indiana to live with my parents. The crash landing indicated the rushed and unexpected nature of the move, but I didn’t understand that until the move happened.
In 2016, I had another dream that I was on a plane, but this time it landed safely in the field next door to my parents’ house. I put this dream on file in the list of dreams I did not understand at the time, and waited to see what it meant. In the summer of 2019, I became ill with tremors severe enough that I had to leave work. By November, I had moved in with my parents to focus full-time on my health. God was faithful with this vision to edify, exhort and console, and instead of feeling anxious about the move, this time I felt peace and comfort that this was a season to enjoy the time with my parents and to heal. The vision helped me to discern my next steps and to plan ahead for the financial costs of healing and my needs for support at that time.
Which brings me to today. The future is still unwritten, but I know that God will continue to show up and to comfort my heart, just as he will for you. He may not show up in visions and dreams — instead, it might be a scripture or his still, small voice — but rest assured, He is speaking, and the deeper you search for him, you will surely find him (Jeremiah 29:13).
You may not always know the meaning of a vision right away. It could take years before you know. But write them down so you remember in the future and so you can clear your head space now. Try not to dwell on the visions too much. God will show you what they mean in time, and the more you develop your gift by writing these visions and dream pictures down, the more God will reveal to you prophetically. Keep at it and remember that if it’s a vision from God, it will always edify, exhort, or console.
May God bless with you the knowledge and comfort of his presence this week, and may you continue to search for him and to know him deeper. He yearns for you.
Blessings and love,
three strands