Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” John 20:29“If I have a dream I’ll believe,” Tala said. Her husband sitting near by piped in, “Joy, you must be patient with us. It is very hard to believe that Jesus is God. We need some proof.” I could tell they wanted to believe but were being held back. They weren’t resistant – just doubtful. It is not uncommon to hear our Muslim friends say that if they would have a dream they would believe. Many Muslims around the world have decided to follow Isa al Masih after they have had an epiphany dream.
Yes, we have friends who have been blessed to have had awesome dreams of Jesus or something spiritual in nature which convinced them of the truth of the Good News. But some of them had those dreams many years ago. Today they are weak in the faith. The dreams haven’t sustained them on the long haul.
I know one family of believers who must win the prize for having the most spiritual dreams. The most common dream is about bread. One night the husband, wife and daughter all had dreams about bread. They view bread as being alive. They don’t have any difficulty believing that Jesus is the Bread of Life!
Recently a young man wanted to share two impacting dreams he just had. He even typed them up for me to read. I got goose bumps reading them. Clearly the Holy Spirit was revealing Himself to the young man. I felt so privileged to hear about his dreams. Even more, I felt privileged to be able to open the Bible and show him the meaning of his dreams. All the meaning and answers were right there in the Bible. If I can not find the meaning or answer to dreams in the Bible I am reluctant to get involved in interpreting their dreams. But when it is clear I am eager to point them to Christ through the written Word.
Anyone involved in Muslim ministry will eventually be introduced to the world of dreams. The Persian people are especially impacted by dreams. They have books on interpreting dreams. One lady I know keeps such a book right by her pillow to check first thing when she wakes up. It has taken years for me to understand the importance of dreams to Muslims and to know how to respond; especially if the dream has me in it! Some dreams are ominous, some from Satan, some from God, and others - who knows what they are about? I depend on the Holy Spirit to help me. Sometimes I actually need to rebuke their dreams when it is clear they are ominous and from Satan. If your Muslim friend shares her dream with you don’t be afraid to get involved. Use the Word of God. Just don’t let them depend on you to interpret their dreams. Ultimately following Jesus requires going by faith rather than by sight. However, God is merciful and understands the Muslim’s need for convincing proof.
Dear heavenly Father, You are revealing Yourself in amazing ways to Muslims. You are merciful and kind. In Jesus' name, Amen.
