A Dream

Life truly is a roller coaster isn’t it? The highs and lows come swiftly too. If you are like me, you wish that the highs would hang around a little longer and the lows would skedaddle, at least to give me time to recover from the last one. Dark circles under my eyes usually reveal an untold story and invariably someone will say, “Are you tired? You don’t look like you feel well.”

That always helps.

Then there are those times when it seems that life comes crashing down on all sides and you feel yourself drowning. While pulling your hair out, you scream…

God, why does life have to be so hard…?

I need a break! I can’t take anymore…

About eight years ago, I went to a Beth Moore conference that was life changing for me. The first night she used a verse to paint a very vivid picture of how the enemy of this world works to cause chaos in our lives.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1Peter 5:8

Beth said, “I want each of you to stop and imagine your sweet little house that you love and adore, with a white picket fence surrounding the back yard.  Unknowingly, a lion approaches your humble abode. He starts to scratch a single plank ever so slowly.”

At this point, she had us envision an argument between you and your husband; one where your feelings were deeply hurt and you couldn’t let it go.

“The lion continues to scratch until one plank falls in,” she continued.

The argument with your husband leads to another and now you find yourself at odds about most things, including finances, the children and sex.

“Another plank fell.”

You are now sleeping in separate rooms.

“Then another…”

Your husband tells you he wants out.

“The lion has now entered the yard to devour and destroy all that is good.”

I had sat in many sermons that included verses about the devil, but it wasn’t until I heard Beth, that my eyes opened to the plot and schemes of the evil one. I became hungry to understand and leaned upon the verse,

“…Greater is He who lives within me than he who is in the world.” 1John 4:4

Many times in the Bible, God used dreams to speak to people. You may or may not agree that God still does so. I’m truly not one to argue this point; I’m not a theologian, just a lover of Jesus. However, I will tell you that a dream I had during some hard times, comforted me like nothing else possible.

One night as my man and I slept comfortably, I dreamt that I was sitting on the back row of the small church where I grew up in Bumpus Mills. The preacher was finishing his sermon and asked the question, “Is there anyone here that would like to have a closer personal relationship with God? If so, raise your hand.” Ever so cautiously, I raised mine.

In my dream, the hand of God extended from Heaven and grabbed onto me. I was holding on as tight as possible, all the while screaming, “Don’t let go! Please don’t let go!”

Troy started to shake me, “Rhonda, wake up! Your having a nightmare.”

I was physically crying and unbeknownst to me, I had been yelling the words, “Don’t let go” out loud. I have to say, I was pretty upset with my man for waking me, but he had no way of knowing that I felt sure I was holding the hand of God. Sleep was impossible after that. Finally, at about five in the morning, I arose and nestled in my living room chair. Tears quickly returned. I could still feel God’s hand upon mine. I whispered again, “Please don’t let go. Don’t let me go God.”

To which I heard, “Rhonda, I’ve got you.”

I pray that whomever is reading this right now might also know, God has you too…