Sleep in Peace by David Jeremiah

Sleep in Peace Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.  Daniel 2:1 In the Bible, dreams are mentioned more than eighty times, almost all of them in the Old Testament. That should provide a clue as to how God has used dreams. As more of His revelation came by the Spirit and through the Word, the less frequent the need to communicate by dreams. But for the pagan world, dreams were often used by God to communicate His intent to rulers like Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2) and Pharaoh (Genesis 41).

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 3:24

What should Christians make of dreams today? There is no definitive answer, but some neuroscientists believe dreams are the brain’s way of consolidating and reviewing memories (and experiences) in our life. Sometimes our dreams are sweet and sometimes they are sour. The more peaceful our thoughts and memories, the more likely our dreams will be too. As the apostle Paul wrote, whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy—“meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). And as the psalmist prayed: “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His providence.  François Fénelon