Have you ever had a dream where you felt the presence of something greater? The impression the dream left was so strong in your mind that you just couldn’t shake it. You felt that it could have a greater meaning and that your brain was trying to tell you something.

Your dream might not have only been significant, but it may have also been divine.

While many dreams are simply your brain processing information, other dreams can mean something so much greater. God can leave us message in our dreams and give us symbols and clues that He is trying to communicate with us. He could be communicating something big to you.

There are many reasons why God would visit us in a dream. God could be guiding you to solve a problem you are having in life, or help heal you from past pain. He could be sending you creative inspiration or warning you about a potential future problem. During sleep, you’re more likely to pay attention to whatever God is trying to tell you, because you’re relaxed and therefore less likely to be distracted. We oftentimes forget to pause and search for God’s voice when we are wrapped up in our hectic lives.

Throughout Scripture we see a God who cares and who communicates His concerns, His direction, His judgments and His blessings to the people of this world. At times He spoke directly to His servants while other times the prophets delivered His messages. Judges, kings, priests and even musicians carried God's instructions to the people. In numerous instances in Scripture, God directed, corrected and instructed individuals through dreams and visions.

The Bible tells us of several instances where God revealed His Will to select people through dreams and visions (Genesis 37:5-10; 1 Kings 3:5-15; Daniel, chapters 2 and 7; Matthew 1:20; 2:13,19; and Acts 10:9-16; 16:9.). Abraham learned of his promised lineage through dreams and visions and Jacob's life was drastically changed through a series of dreams in which he received God's promises regarding his heritage.

The Bible also tells us in Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” This is good confirmation that yes, God can in fact visit us in our dreams. We have to make sure we do not dismiss others that say they saw God in a dream, or even dismiss the dreams we have.

If you think you had a dream from God, write it down. Look at the different themes of the dream and see how they could apply to your life. The most important aspect of understanding a dream from God is making sure that is aligns with Scripture. God may communicate with you through a dream, but if anything the dream tells you contradicts Scripture than the dream was not actually from God. Our minds and even Satan are capable of producing great deception in dreams.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows that God has revealed His will to us primarily through His Word. It says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” So when you have a dream, compare it to the Bible to make sure everything aligns before making any next steps. Pray to God and ask for confirmation if you are unsure.

Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate upon God's Word both day and night. Meditating on God's Word before bed often results in revelation through a dream. At times this might be a divine revelation or God speaking to you through the dream. It could also be a personal revelation or your subconscious mind revealing your deepest, innermost thoughts. This is why it’s important to really analyze your dream first. Psalm 16:7 confirms this: "I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my affections also instruct me in the night seasons."

We should always keep an ear open for God, but know that sometimes He comes into our lives in mysterious ways. God will use a dream as a platform to communicate with us when we need it most. Pause and look out for Him. Don’t dismiss your strange dreams right way because they could mean something much bigger.