It was such a beautiful summer day that I could taste it. The sky was filled with a majestic shade of blue sprinkled with specs of white. The greenery added warmth along with the shine of the sun. The day felt just right. I looked ahead and saw an impressive yet familiar structure in which people of all shades were smiling and talking. It was so inviting that I walked inside, my husband by
I saw familiar faces, some I hadn’t seen in a long time. In the middle of the space was a piano surrounded by friends from a church we visit often. People were singing a familiar tune. Some sitting stood up and began to clap and sing along. My husband was with me, and we stood there listening. I started to sing and clap as well. I knew the song from my youth. It was a song I had sung with my high school choir. Only I wish I could remember its name! The way they sang it was so beautiful and moving. As we were leaving that space, I remember feeling, Surely, this is home; this is where we need to be. I turned to my husband and shared that comment, then moved on to another part of the space.
I arrived at the head of the space. This part seemed almost empty compared to what we had just come from. To describe it nicely would only be to use the words plain and barren. Those descriptors have nothing to do with “nice.” I saw two brothers whom I know very well. I was inches away from them, but they paid me no attention. It was as if I was not there at all. Even though I was so close to them, I could not hear what they were saying. I turned off the light surrounding their space, and they didn’t even notice. They continued talking. I flicked the switch back on and walked away.
Moving down the center aisle, I marveled at how long it had been. I thought this would be perfect for a bridal processional! As I was thinking about this, a brother ran up to me to ask if I would greet some visitors because he couldn’t find his wife to do so. I agreed and walked ahead to see them, but not before spotting another brother who left years ago. He seemed sad. I noticed that his wife was not with him. I motioned to him, but he seemed to look right past me. I continued.
Before arriving at the front of the building, I showed my husband a pamphlet organized more like a magazine. The front page showcased the name of the church in giant letters. There were pictures of children sitting at a piano, young people engaged in drama, and adults singing, acting, and miming. I could hear the images moving. They sounded like professionals! My first thought was, Wow, this church has a lot of ministries; that’s great! I especially liked seeing the children at the piano. On the surface, it seemed like this was the place to be, as it had many programs and activities for its members. But that thought was quickly interrupted by the sense that something was missing after I heard the pastor’s picture and what he was teaching.
The last thing I saw was outside the building after speaking to those visitors. It looked like a picnic area. There were tables and giant trees that provided shade, and people were everywhere talking and smiling. I noticed that I fussed over my casual black shirt, which had a tear in the upper left-hand side by the collar. The shirt almost felt tattered, and I wanted it off. I debated driving home to change, but when I looked at the clock, it showed that there were 15 minutes left. It felt like there was no time, yet I wanted so badly to change. But the event was about to begin.
Right before I woke up, I heard beautiful music playing. It was a song coming from my heart in a Major key. The music spoke life. As I stirred and opened my eyes, I heard these words from my heart: “Jesus, save.”
All morning, I pondered the meaning of this dream. By afternoon, I came to realize several things and marveled at God’s generous way of helping me to discern and interpret the meaning (except for the 15):
- The many people smiling and talking – the church. The building was a House of Worship big enough to allow for a conference, as this appeared to be, with so many people worldwide. But some of the people were sad or bound.
- The Church singers represent beauty, life, and being full of the Spirit, which felt like home!
- The two brothers talking were blind leaders. They knew the truth but were blind to it. They had the Light but allowed darkness to overtake them. They were blind to the reality of the state of the congregation.
- The magazine’s big ministry/program-focused church represents a church doing many good things but without the Spirit’s power.
- The black shirt I wore with a tear in it speaks of what I have been through. It’s feeling tattered, which means I need a complete covering (spiritually). The fact that I wanted to go home to change it means a transition. A change is coming, and I need to embrace it.
- The 15 minutes on the clock. While the number 15 means rest, the urgency I felt in the dream was heavy. I thought it had to do with me and changing and that time was of the essence. Does this mean a literal 15 days, weeks, or years? Or is it more profound than that? I looked up Bible books that contained 15 chapters, chapter 1 and verse 5 of each book.
- The prayer “Jesus, Save” says many Christians have the Spirit’s power but have not activated it or quenched it. They are complacent. Sadly, the leaders have allowed this and perpetuated its existence, thus the bondage. The two-word prayer is my heart crying out for them.