Dreams and Discernment

There’s something both beautiful and unsettling about dreams. In the Book of Jeremiah 23, we’re reminded that not every voice that claims God’s authority truly carries it. “Let these false prophets tell their dreams,” the Lord says, “but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word… There is a difference between chaff and wheat.”

A story is told of a young man whose vivid dream led him to a distant beach, where he met someone searching for truth, and that encounter became the beginning of faith. It’s a gentle reminder that God can still speak in unexpected ways, even through dreams, stirring hearts and guiding steps.

Yet Jeremiah’s warning lingers, steady and necessary. Not every dream is divine, not every impression is truth. Some words, though confidently spoken, grow from human imagination rather than God’s Spirit. When we mistake chaff for wheat, confusion follows, and trust can be shaken.

So how do we discern? We return, again and again, to Scripture. The more we sit with God’s word, the more familiar his voice becomes. It shapes our instincts, steadies our judgement, and anchors us when other voices compete for attention. What seems less dramatic, reading, reflecting, quietly obeying, is in fact deeply nourishing.

God’s word is our daily bread, sustaining, reliable, and true. And if, on occasion, he chooses to speak through a dream, we receive it with humility and test it with care. Wheat first, always; and if a dream comes, then perhaps, by grace, dessert.

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