Friday, February 29, 2008

In a Dream...

For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though man may not perceive it.

In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men
as they slumber in their beds,
 
he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
Job 33:14-16

About 2 weeks ago...Holly might be able to help me out with the actual date, I woke up at 3:00 am...terrified. I haven't had a dream that real and that startling in quite some time.

I had a dream that a hooded man, who was very heavily armed, was heading down Sidney St. and after looking me in the eye with a taunting glare, he headed down Parkdale Dr. I knew he was headed to the school and I had to get there to warn the faculty and help lock down the school.

It took me a while to work through the fear and really get into prayer, but even then, the weight of the dream would not lift. I prayed for the students at that particular school, my own children...eventually covering Sunday schools and schools right through our nation. I declared them all hidden and that no weapon formed against them would prosper...that every scheme of the enemy would fall to the ground as dust. An hour and a half later, I could visualize this  enemy's arsenal of weapons literally fall and disintegrate into dust....the burden lifted and I went back to sleep. The next day, I recruited Holly to agree with me for the children....it so happens, she had been awakened at 3:00 as well.

When God began to speak to me about the Centennial position, I asked him to remind me of the dream...I knew I'd had a dream about children, but at the moment couldn't recall it. He instantly reminded me, and I realized my needing to get to the school to protect the kids was related to getting this position.

When I teach on dreams, I speak of levels. A dream can have multiple meanings over various time frames, (your dream can mean one thing today, and something very different down the road, yet both are accurate interpretations of the same dream). Today, I saw that again with my own dream.

As I was coming home from the gym, Mark warned me that traffic was being rerouted, as I CRAWLED down North Front St. to get home, I listened to the news and they explained that there was a stand off at the Money Mart and there were reports of an armed robbery.

As I drove home I remembered my dream again...I thought about Parkdale's proximity to this situation and the fact that this armed man was headed south on Sidney in my dream. I prayed for the kids, but reasoned that if there was a concern, surely we would get a call.
Lo and behold, when I picked up Michael and Jianna from school, they each had a note explaining that the school had been locked down for about 3 1/2 hours while the police were searching for this suspect.

Is it all tied together? Did this guy actually head in that direction? I am not making those claims, but I THANK GOD that he speaks loud and clear when we need to hear. I also thank him that He gave me such an urgency to pray, that sleep didn't overtake that need, and that He is willing to terrify us with warnings, in order to bring about His plan for victory.

We are simply his  tools of choice if we will listen, seek understanding, and most importantly, OBEY.

10 comments:

Roxanne said...

OBEY!! That can be the hardest part.

Rhonda said...

Prayer - our most powerful tool to come against the enemy and stay protected. Thank you for being obedient.

Amy said...

I must admit that today's "callout" lead me to prayer like none before (that I can recall). I felt a real urgency to pray..not only for Mike (and us) but for the whole team and the city itself. I, too, called upon Holly for some "help"..The "urgency" lasted for some time. God is so good.

Maureen said...

Bless you Jen for being so obedient.
I was on my way to work this morning and immediately started to pray for the safety of the children of the school,the surrounding neighbourhood and for all the officers involved.
I will praise God tonight for your obedience in Him and thank Him for protecting our community.
Thank you for sharing your dream with us.

Anonymous said...

Wow, thank you for being obedient! If only every one of us were like this, think of how our world would change.
BTW, I love, love, love your header. I feel the exact same way!

Jen said...

Amy,
As soon as I knew what was happening, I thought of Mike, Mark and all of the officers, and began to pray for them as well.....I am so glad you all heard the alarm and "hit your knees" God is so good, and NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US WILL PROSPER!

Praise God for His shield of protection!

Anonymous said...

Wow, awesome. God is speaking and others are listening and joining "forces", how cool

Anonymous said...

bless you all for pray for the police officers and the school the children i prayed as well i live on tracey park drive not a good place to be but its a home and god protects us

Shaun and Holly said...

Thought of this scripture when I read your post.

Oh my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me, that I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war." Jeremiah 4:19

I am so excited to hear what God does with you in this VERY key position with the youth. Praying much blessing and favor for you!

Tamatha said...

Wowsers! Kewl....Lord help me to be willing to listen to your promptings over the sleep that my body desires! Amen!