"‘I believe in dreams, brethren. The Lord has given me dreams which to me are just as real and as much from God as was the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, which was the means of saving a nation from starvation, or the dream of Lehi who through a dream led his colony out of the old country across the mighty deep to this promised land, or any other dreams that we might read in the scriptures.’"1
This came from George F. Richards when he was President of the Quorum of the Twelve. For centuries, our Heavenly Father has used many methods to communicate with his children. One of these ways is through dreams. As mentioned above, the Lord warned Lehi "even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness". (1 Nephi 2:2) Because Lehi was obedient and heeded this counsel, he and his family were able to escape the captivity of the Babylonians. Similarly, we can escape captivity, though not of a physical nature, if we heed the promptings we receive. We can escape spiritual captivity.
"It is not out of place for us to have important dreams. . . . As a result of that dream, I had this feeling that no matter what might be required of my hands, what the gospel might entail unto me, I would do what I should be asked to do even to the laying down of my life." 1
Lehi was not the only one to be warned in a dream, though. One of the Jaredites, Omer, was also warned "in a dream that he should depart out of the land". (Ether 9:3) He, however, escaped destruction and murdering usurpers who wanted to take his kingdom and his life because "the Lord was merciful unto Omer". (Ether 9:2) While we will likely not have our physical lives saved by a dream, the direction and course of our lives can be altered through the Lord’s mercy. When I was trying to make a decision about staying on the dance team at my high school, it was through the Lord’s mercy that I was saved from making a life-altering, potentially spiritually-fateful decision.
Jeffrey R. Holland commented on Joel 2:28-29 ("I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.") as pertained to our revered prophet Joseph Smith: "Dreaming dreams and seeing visions. The Lord’s spirit upon all flesh—sons and daughters, old and young, servants and handmaidens. I may be wrong, but I can’t imagine an Old Testament verse of any kind that could have helped this boy prophet more." Joseph endured so much more than I can possibly imagine and he was comforted by a mere verse about revelation. How much more comfort can we, as fortunate members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, take from the fact that we can receive modern revelation through dreams?
Another Joseph who had the Lord’s spirit with him, especially as far as dreams went, was Joseph in Egypt. "Joseph was able to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream. The Pharaoh, being so impressed, made Joseph one of his servants. Again the Lord was with Joseph. Soon Joseph rose to a position of being second to the Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt. There was something special that distinguished Joseph from all the other servants. Pharaoh remarked what made Joseph different from all of the others when he said, ‘Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’(Genesis 41:38)"3 Because of the Spirit of the Lord, Joseph’s unwavering faith, and the God-given gift of interpreting dreams, he was able to shine his light no matter where he went, no matter the circumstances.
If children of God listen to the Spirit of God, whether in dreams or just in our feelings, we can do as Christ asked in Matthew 5:16 and "let our light so shine before men so that they may see our good works" and we can declare with Joseph of Egypt, Joseph Smith, Jr., and George F. Richards, "I believe in dreams!"
References
1- Spencer W. Kimball (quoting George F. Richards), "The Cause Is Just and Worthy," Ensign, May 1974, 118
2- Jeffrey R. Holland, "However Long and Hard the Road," New Era, Sep 1983, 38
3- L. Tom Perry, "‘Trust in the Lord’," Ensign, May 1978, 51
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6 comments:
The George A. Smith quotation makes a very effective introduction to the topic. I like the way that you add the example of Joseph to some of the scriptures that we looked at in class. How did you pick this topic from the options given? Is there a personal experience with dreams that would be appropriate to share here?
I really like how you used a number of different examples of people who have been blessed by their dreams. I also appreciate the quotes that you used throughout your essay. It is always reassuring to hear what the leaders of our church have to say. Good job!!!
I like how you gave the example of Joseph of Egypt. He is one of my favorite people in the scriptures. His faith was amazing! Thanks for your testimony and for your words that increase all of our testimonies.
I have always taken for granted the gifts that dreams can be, as if saying my nightly prayers separated my relationship with Heavenly Father until i was to wake up for my morning prayers. I should have known on my own that he can constantly be an influence and guide, even in our dreams.
Great job with all the examples! Dreams have always been interesting things to me. I never know which ones are really inspiration or just the vivid imaginings of my mind. Thanks for introducing me to George A. Smith!
Great quotes and examples from the scriptures. I liked what you said about "spiritual captivity." Good job!
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