The dream started just after I heard (our lodger) Darren’s alarm clock go off at 6am upstairs, and lasted until he put the shower on which woke me up again, so it could only have been a matter of minutes – but it seemed a very long, powerful and real dream. As I write it now I have to hold back tears and when I told it to Zoe I couldn’t stop crying, I know I’m soppy!
It follows my preparation yesterday for this coming Sunday’s talk when I had the idea drop into my spirit that when Jesus called Matthew in Luke 5 he traded in his TO DO list for the TO BE list that Jesus had for him.
It’s interesting too that the very first thing Matthew did after saying yes to the invitation to follow Jesus was throw a party, something religious people didn’t understand at all – but after this dream, I think I now know why!
I was in a long queue where many people young and old were going to someone who would pray for them, giving words of prophecy etc. My daughter Hannah was in the queue in front of me, I was worrying I might not get seen in time but Hannah said I could go before her.
Finally I got there, a man I recognised (someone who I hadn’t seen for over 20 years until he recently turned up to Ivy out of the blue and gave me a very encouraging massive word of prophecy) then opened the door to me and I stepped in.
He said, ‘What have you been looking at?’
I immediately became defensive and said, ‘I haven’t been looking at anything I shouldn’t be looking at!’
He laughed kindly and said, ‘No I know you haven’t, I’m not here to condemn you, remember – I want to commend you, because you have been looking at what the Commanders and my Leaders have written and through them you’re learning to be a Commander and General too.’
He got me to lie down, then he started prodding and pushing at my body and said, ‘You need to learn to let the good stuff I am putting in you really get into you. So much of it just goes through you, like bad stuff goes in and out. Let the good stuff settle in and do its work.’ (See Mark 7:19, bad stuff doesn’t go into your heart but out of your body)
Then another man appeared there who started reading from a book: things like this –
“Oh God I don’t know how I am ever going to get through this!’
“Lord I can’t handle it!’
“Lord will my marriage to Zoe really be okay – will we be alright? Please help!’
I said, ‘That’s not how I feel.’
He said, ‘No, it’s how you felt, and you turned it into prayer and it got answered didn’t it?’
I suddenly felt very grateful then the first man smiled and said, ‘You measure the wrong things you know so often. You get caught up in your lists and your numbers and how many people are coming or are going to come to church and all that Willow Creek kind of stuff, and I love your heart and people are so important, but let me show you what I measure; Here’s one of my favourite videos.’
A big screen showed my family, snapshots of times like my fortieth birthday party, in fact all kinds of parties where we’ve dressed in fancy dress or just had fun with family, church family and friends – and Jesus (now I knew it was him) was just pointing at the screen, laughing and laughing and loving all the fun, family and partying.
‘I love this! This is what I measure, this is what I love!’
Next, he opened a book to show me, and I knew it was my book, a very thick book and when he opened the pages on every line, over and over was just my signature, page after page.
He said, ‘This is every time you have ever said thank you to me. Thank you for being grateful.’
Then I woke up and worshipped!
Isn’t it amazing to think that the only records kept in heaven are the prayers we pray, even in our most desperate times, and the times we thank God for the answers.
PS. Zoe had a fabulous dream it turns out at just the same time, and I KNEW someone must have been interceding for us that that time, 6am today – so if it was you, THANK YOU and I thank God for you, it’s going in my book.
PPS. Finishing with something I’m always grateful for, our favourite band – Beautiful South