FEBRUARY 2019

Rick and I were on a road trip. It was night time. I was driving and he was in the passenger seat sleeping. I was going at a normal speed and went off the highway. I knew better than to jerk the car back onto the highway or we could flip over and crash. Rick woke up but wasn’t too alarmed. He simply said, “just get back on the road,” and went back to sleep. He had total confidence in me. I was calm but knew we weren’t in danger. I thought how thankful I was that nothing was on the side of the road when I veered off. I also thought about how I wasn’t asleep at the wheel but I went off the road as though I had fallen asleep.

End of dream

Journal entry February 2019

INTERPRETATION

Before I went to bed the night before, I was thinking of members of my family who are Muslim. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that this dream was about ministry and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Many times driving a car in dreams represents steering your own destiny. I’m not asleep at the wheel, but I’m not paying close enough attention either. Rick isn’t paying attention and he isn’t concerned when he does wake up. He is startled, yet unfazed, even if danger was imminent. Symbolically, Rick and I need to remain awake, be alert to move in the direction the Lord has for us. 

I’m in the driver’s seat, which can represent control. When it comes to the direction the Lord is taking us I need to let God take control, not me. When it comes to Rick and control, Rick is at rest, trusting the Lord. I need to rely on God and my husband. 

I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. What this represents is that when it comes to the needs of those around us our eyes can be wide open and we can still appear to be “asleep at the wheel.” 

Notes: Four days prior to this dream, Rick mentioned going to Africa to do missions. We don’t know what organization we could go through to minister. I believe the Lord will do the orchestrating and we don’t need to worry about it. End of journal entry February 2019

ONE YEAR LATER - FEBRUARY 2020

Have there been times in your life when you’ve heard a sermon, read a verse, completed your daily devotion and said, “that message was exactly what I needed today?” It was a word that encouraged you and gave you more to ponder and pray about. That’s what this dream was for me after being tucked away in my journal for a year. 

I can’t begin to tell you how many times God has brought to the surface a precise word of knowledge for a specific time in my life from a past dream the way he has done from a Sunday sermon.

Rick retired in January 2020. On his last day in the office, he received an email from a missionary inquiry he made over a year ago. This triggered him to contact our home church missions and begin exploring possibilities to help pastors and missionaries after retirement. If it’s God’s will, we are interested in serving primarily in Europe or Africa.

Three days prior to “discovering” this dream, we received a call to his inquiry from the Africa Pipeline Coordinator with specifics on where we could possibly assist. We thought we might receive some information, but we heard specific countries and areas of ministry. We were encouraged about our future and where God might be sending us. Nevertheless, when we hung up we still wondered if this was the direction the Lord wanted us to take. 

PURPOSE OF THIS DREAM:

The missions organization who reached out to us, the stirring in our heart for Africa, this dream, and my journal entry which specifically referenced Africa could easily be interpreted  as “go to Africa.” We will not use this dream as a “sign from God” to make a drastic decision in life.

Ministry and going on a missions trip isn’t a decision to make haphazardly because it sounds like a worthy thing to do or a fun and adventurous journey now that Rick has retired. What this dream does provide is a reminder to “take everything to the Lord in prayer.” Philippians 4:6

A word from a sermon, a verse, or a dream, is one way in which our loving and heavenly Father guides us along our paths of righteousness. I personally recommend that you do not make life-altering decisions when you hear a word from man or even in the night. Hearing God’s voice in the day should be the final voice you hear before you change directions in life. The confidence to hear and know his voice comes through time in his presence and is usually confirmed through scripture, the Word of the Lord. 

February 24, 2020 is our last day in Pennsylvania. As this dream depicts, our journey begins in our car living as nomads. We are making some adjustments in our life so that we are in a position for the Lord to send us where he wills. It is important as we sit behind the wheel of our vehicle to ensure God is doing the navigating, not us.

Rick and I are praying and waiting with expectation for the answer to “what’s next, Lord?” Proverbs 16:9

Photo by Mzimasi Ndzombane on Unsplash