How you think about God is the single most important thing in your life.
In the past 18 years, I have been both a student and a teacher of how God speaks in dreams. Like the parables of Jesus, dreams are filled with metaphors. It is the nature of God to seek to communicate with his kids when we are awake and when we are asleep. He is fond of speaking in dreams because when he communicates with us in that way, we spend time with him, asking for the interpretation. He loves spending time with us. When we search his heart to understand his mysteries, it brings him great delight. I often picture myself walking along beside him, holding his hand, as he shares his heart.
When I am given the opportunity to interpret someone's dream, I examine the metaphors or symbols to determine how they are used in everyday life then look for the spiritual application. I have interpreted several thousand dreams over the years and have noticed some commonality in the symbols.
One of the most interesting and most often used symbols is police officers. When God speaks in a dream and places police officers in it, their role is always that of heavenly angels. Their presence indicates that God has placed an angelic protection around the person dreaming, and that the angels are also ministering to them to bring healing and comfort.
God's use of police officers to represent his angels says several things about him. First, police officers are called by God to be his hands extended in the lives of the people in their communities. Second, it is a high calling and a service to God's Kingdom that he finds very precious, and one that he honors. They rush toward danger to protect and serve, not thinking of themselves but the ones they have taken an oath to protect. Sure sounds like angels to me.
In Matthew 5:9, the following statement is made by Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." The Hebrew word that is translated as "peace" is "shalom," which is defined as "nothing missing, nothing broken."
Jesus was describing the attributes of God in the Beatitudes, attributes that have been imparted to the Earth and all its inhabitants by Jesus himself. All we have to do is agree with him, his love, his compassion for mankind, and we will create an atmosphere of love, compassion and reconciliation. There is nothing that can stand against that kind of love.
Pastor and author A.W. Tozer once said, "When the eyes of man looking out, meet the eyes of God looking in, Heaven has begun right here on this earth."
Join me in praying for our police officers. Support, encourage and thank them at every opportunity. Also join me in praying for our community, our state, our country and all other countries of the world. Together we can create an atmosphere of reconciliation and see heaven begin here on earth.
I leave you with the following Scripture:
"So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Dottie Hutcheson Stewart is a chaplain with the Chattanooga Police Department.