"Dream"

What happens when the whisper,

Down in an old man’s heart,

Gets loud enough to wake him,

From a deep sleep with a start.

A man who always cowboyed,

But his joints have slowed him down,

And, yes, he still gets horseback,

And lives far off from town.

But his children and his grandkids,

Concerned ‘bout what he’ll do,

And sometimes when they talk to him,

He feels his life is through.

Once a cowboy preacher,

But now long since retired,

Most old friends have passed away,

He needs his coals refired.

But lately he’s been dreamin’,

And almost every night,

Comes a windy whisper,

And in his mind the sight,

Of himself somewhere a-preachin’,

But he’s sittin’ in the saddle,

And gathered all around him,

Are men and boys, not cattle.

And he’s speakin’ ‘bout the Savior,

And he points ‘em to the Book,

And then there’s lots of prayin’,

And baptizin’ in a brook.

And then the dream Is over,

And he lays there in the bed,

And all the things he dreams about,

And all the things he said,

Make him feel a little crazy,

And then he says a prayer,

That if the dream’s a message,

God will take him there.

A friend calls for a brandin’,

A hundred miles away,

The old man loads his pony,

Plans a two-day stay.

And, man, it’s hot and dusty,

And he almost didn’t go,

His wife, she travels with him,

So he will drive there slow.

And a couple days of draggin’,

And brandin’ and good fun,

And when the chores are ended,

And everything is done,

They sit there on their horses,

And relive what has been,

And suddenly he realized,

The dream came real right then.

And sittin’ in his saddle,

He spoke to young and old,

He shared with them the Savior,

And with kind words he told,

The way the Lord had saved him,

Long many years before,

And how he’d been a wild one,

Till God knocked on his door.

And grown men cried and prayed to God,

And young boys did the same,

And as the sun was setting,

They called on Jesus’ name.

And just like in the dream he had,

Someone said let’s go,

Down to the brook that ran nearby,

And baptize in its flow.

 And one by one went under,

And it was quite a sight,

To see them come up praising God,

To now ride in the light.

The old man sat there thankfully,

His dream was real, came true,

And that’s just how the Savior works,

When He’s not through with you.

“…your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams…” (Acts 2:17, NLT)

On the day of Pentecost when the first. believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, some who saw them thought they were drunk, But Peter explained to those who gathered that it was not drunkenness but the work of the Spirit. He went on to say that the ancient Old Testament prophecy from Joel was being fulfilled. Dreams, visions, and prophecies would accompany the Spirit’s power, and then there is a shift to the last days before Jesus returns. Dreams and visions from God are one of the ways the Lord speaks to people. These will always align with what is written in the Bible, but are an important way the Lord helps us apply what the Scriptures teach. Having a God-given dream or vision energizes us to do all He has called us to do.

Lord, help us dream Your dream and see with Your vision, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, shawncameron.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.