Back to the Dream

When the dream first came back to my mind, a certain prophetic sense of its meaning began to take hold of my heart but not until my friend shared his interpretation did I begin to understand that truly the Lord had shown me from my earliest childhood the plans He had for my life, plans for good and not for evil, plans that were laid out before the foundation of the world.

The interpretation went something like this:

The Lion was Jesus who had come alongside me to declare before the Creation that the season had arrived for this child of God to begin walking out the plans that were established for her. That He came out from behind me to stand at my side signified the end of all that was past and the beginning of a walk together as I embarked on my mission.

The exotic cats and animals that so regally took their positions before us breathed in the expectancy that was in the air and gave it form as they sat attentively, waiting for me to speak. These lovely creatures represented the most important people of the world. It was my friend’s impression that they represented heads of states or of governments.

The last part was more than I could process at the time, but the rest of it made my spirit overflow with understanding, thankfulness, and joy. The Lion had walked out of all that was past in my life, showing me that He had always been with me, He had always known me. His Presence next to me was a bold declaration of the end of what was and the beginning of what was ordained to be. How merciful our Father is, for He had given me that vision as a child so that when it pleased Him to reveal Jesus Christ in me I would recognize Him and His Presence and know that truly He had always been with me; I had never been alone.

In the dream, I had extended my hand at the moment the Lion came alongside me; it vividly describes the day I realized the call on my life and yielded to it. It also vividly describes the many times I have come back to that moment to do it again whenever I would get off track. Jesus is always right here. The vision of the Lion standing at my side, always looking straight ahead, has become such a source of comfort, strength, and encouragement to me for He is constant and unchanging, never looking to the right or to the left, always His focus on the prize that is set before Him.

As for the cats filing in before me, I could not grasp it but did not discount it; I waited for the Spirit to give me understanding.

During the first days of my visit [in Ghana, 2005], people came to the house one after another to talk with me. They would sit quietly in the room or on the porch waiting as I spoke to another. In my dream, the cats took their places gracefully and unhurriedly, quietly and expectantly, waiting for me to speak just as these delightful people were doing. Suddenly the dream and the moment became one as I realized that I was sitting in a high-backed chair with arms, not especially royal but stately; it had red cushions. These humble children of God who were taking their places in front of me were the creatures who had been waiting for me to come to them, waiting with expectancy for the Lord to speak to them. These are the people that our Father sees as heads of states, heads of governments, most important among men. It remains one of the most humbling moments of my life.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ could have sat me in that chair and brought Eternity to life. Only He could have planted that vision in my heart, hidden it away until the time to be revealed had come, and so clearly shown me that every step of my life has been ordained from before the foundation of the world. I pray the thought of it always brings me to my knees in honor of His eternal mercies. Our God is an awesome God; great is His faithfulness. I pray you have been blessed.

Smiles