God Speaks Your Language

One common principle in dream interpretation is that most of the time, God will speak to you in your language, whatever language that happens to be.

I have friends who live in China, and when God speaks audibly to them, He probably speaks in Chinese. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard God speaking Chinese—but that’s not my language. He wants me to be able to understand Him.

The same is true with dreams. God will tend to use language and elements familiar to you, so you can more easily understand what He’s saying.

In Genesis 31:9-14, Jacob is talking about a dream he had that made him wealthy. He saw the spotted and speckled animals mating, and he recognized, “This is where the multiplication is going to happen.”

At the time, spotted and speckled animals weren’t necessarily the ones you wanted, but Jacob took a risk and, to the best of his ability, followed what he felt God was saying.

Here’s a key: When God speaks, the revelation trumps man’s wisdom. God blessed Jacob for listening to Him and brought him abundant wealth.

This short dream reveals how God usually speaks to us. Jacob worked with animals, so God spoke to him about animals and showed him how to make wealth through them. Jacob didn’t need a lot of understanding for this dream because he already had the understanding.

As you look at your dreams, what familiar aspects do you see? Your job? Your ministry? A hobby you enjoy? Things you love? You don’t dream about those things just because your brain is processing your day—God might be using your language to speak to you.

To hear more about this dream and how God speaks, listen to Episode 6 on The Dreams Guy on Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

John and Dawna Thomas were radically saved out of the drug culture in 1996. Personally mentored by John Paul Jackson, they’ve been on staff with or have worked alongside Streams Ministries since 2004. John Thomas pastored The Bridge Metrowest (planted by Jackson) for five years before he and Dawna stepped out into full-time itinerant ministry. After Jackson passed away, John began to work more closely with the Streams leadership team and in 2016 was asked to become the president of Streams Ministries.

With his background as a pastor and a minister in various settings around the world, John has a unique perspective on prophetic ministry and the global body of Christ. He desires to see the church rise up in its authority and in the full power of the Holy Spirit, and his passion for God’s heart undergirds everything he does. He wants to help the bride of Christ respond with fervent devotion to the one who called her.

John co-authored The Art of Praying the Scriptures: A Fresh Look at Lectio Divina with John Paul Jackson and has also written courses on prophetic ministry, dream interpretation, and the kingdom of God. As president of Streams Ministries, he ministers internationally to help restore the awe of God to a world that has lost its wonder. He and Dawna live outside of Dallas, Texas.