I don’t always remember vivid details about the dreams I
have. Most often I remember how I feel after the dream (scared, happy,
confused, etc.) Last night was a different story. I had a dream that was very
brief, but very powerful.
My dream took place inside an old factory that I had
wandered into. Oh, I didn’t wander in there by mistake. No, my intentions were
not good at all. I was there to sin, purposely sin. I weaved through the factory,
which inside seemed to be all but abandoned. I saw a set of steps that led me
to a cramped corner that was barely lit. I curled up in that corner with my
back to a small window. It was dusk outside – no bright sunshine or rays of
light coming in. Just above me there was a small ledge. On that ledge was what
I believe to have been a small bird inside a tiny cage. At the bottom of the steps was the
object of my sin. I had passed right by it, hoping it would recognize what I
was there for.
I remember a feeling of dark anticipation, vacillating
between feeling excited and feeling guilty. I remember looking up and seeing a
stream of light moving across the wall and the steps. It wasn’t very bright,
but it was enough to create shadows. Then the most amazing thing happened, a
shadow formed into the silhouette of an open left hand. I instantly knew it did
not belong to me, for my hands were folded and placed near my stomach. Also,
there wasn’t anything or anyone else around me.
I didn’t have to guess for long who the hand belonged to. I
immediately felt a strong desire to pray, and then everything became clear. I had
just witnessed the hand of God. He was there with me. In that abandoned
factory, in the darkest corner, God was with me all along. I could not hide my
desire to sin. I also knew that even in that solitary place, I was not alone.
I’m not sure what the bird in the cage represented. Was it
perhaps a reflection of how I felt – trapped in a dark corner where no one
would see or find me, except for the person who put me there? Did I feel
trapped by my own sin? Oh well, that doesn’t matter much to me. What matters
most is knowing, and being reassured of, the fact that I am never alone. No
matter where I find myself physically or emotionally, no matter how obscure my
circumstances seem, God’s hand is always there to guide me.
Are you feeling broken, shameful, desperate, or simply getting ready to
deliberately commit a sin? It’s not too late, reach out and grab the hand of
God. He is right there with you. He will pull you out to safety and restore
you. His word promises just that.
John 10:27-29
Isaiah 41:13
