Do you have trouble remembering your dreams? I’ve heard the question come with exasperation; “How can I remember my dreams?” Many wish to hear from God through dreams, but they wake without a trace. Do you relate?
Good day, Friends! This is Steve Johnson with RevelationConnections.Vision
I want to assure you, YOU CAN REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS – AND HOW!
I’ve had people in Listening Groups who could not recall a single dream from their lifetime. Others recalled one or two. But they started gaining and keeping dreams as they did a few things.
As their dreams rose to consciousness their enthusiasm for hearing God’s voice shot through the roof! Let’s give you some tools to capture and retain your dreams.
Key Takeaways
- Everyone dreams multiple times per night – approximately every 90 minutes
- Dream recall can be improved through spiritual, mental, and physical preparation
- The goal isn’t to collect dreams but to understand and act on their meaning
- Regular prayer and mindful waking practices enhance dream retention
- Physical health and proper sleep habits play crucial roles in dream recall
The Truth About Dreams
Your Nightly Dream Cycle
We all dream every night. In fact, about every 90 minutes you have a dream episode. Can you imagine how many billions of dreams are happening? The majority of people simply don’t recall them.
Don’t tell yourself, “I don’t dream.” Rather, ask yourself, “What can I do to remember my dreams?“
Steps to Remember Your Dreams
1. Cultivate Spiritual Hunger
Want to remember your dreams? Get Hungrier for hearing the voice of God!
Our Lord Jesus said, the hungry will be satisfied. (Matt 5:6). Stoke your desire for dreams through Scripture study and listening to the amazing testimonies of others.
We also feed our desire when we consider our great need for:
- Comfort
- Wisdom
- Warnings
- Course corrections
Many have thought of hearing God’s voice as an optional curiosity. I believe hearing our Lord’s voice is a survival skill. This realization creates more earnestness in seeking. What if we added holy desperation to seeking?
2. Embrace Biblical Truth
Want to remember your dreams? Tell yourself the truth!
Sometimes we need to take Bible soap and “brain-wash” ourselves with the water of God’s word. We strengthen our hearts by confessing our faith in God’s love and His desire to communicate with us. To say that God doesn’t speak – and through dreams – is to slander the One who invented communications, the Father who rejoices and sings over his children.
Here is the wonderful God we worship according to Zephaniah 3:17:
The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Tell yourself, without hesitation, “God loves me and proved it through the coming, the death and resurrection, and ascension of my dear Lord Jesus. He loves to communicate with his children. I am one of them, and He readily answers my prayers. Jesus is a good Shepherd. He knows me and enables me to hear, and remember.“
3. Develop a Prayer Practice
Want to remember your dreams? Start praying seriously!
This may be easier than you think. For years I have prayed a very simple prayer; “Lord in the night with dreams, and in the day with visions.” It’s not a fancy prayer but it is regular.
If you’re not getting anywhere trying to remember your dreams do a prayer upgrade.
Kneeling is out of vogue, but it can become, for you, a holy sweet-spot for communion. What if every night you would take five minutes of humble, kneeling prayer at your bedside; thanking God for His goodness, marveling at His character, and asking for the grace of heavenly communication before you put your head on the pillow?
Sample Prayer
My Lord, please help me remember and prize the dreams You give me. Holy Spirit stir up my memory! Remove any veil between my consciousness and subconscious. Show me any sins or obstructions I have to remembering. Purify my heart, for you say, “The pure in heart will see God” (Matt 5:8)
I believe You wish to communicate with me. As I sleep let my spirit be awake and aware, as the woman in Song of Solomon says, “I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking.” (SS 5:2)
4. Connect with Other Dreamers
Want to remember your dreams? Receive impartation from others!
Find someone who regularly recalls dreams whom you regard as a real Christian listener. Ask them to pray for you. There is something about connecting with others who are seeking and enjoying conversation and communion with God!
When we see the benefits – the joy, the peace, the guidance and assurance, the courage and wisdom which comes on these people we start to think, “Maybe, if I would do what they practice I will get the same benefits. That wondering will advance to faith. “Yes, If I seek Him I will find Him!” (Jer 29:13) God is “a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him!” (Heb 11:6)
5. Physical Preparation
Want to remember your dreams? Prepare physically!
Keep your body tuned, and prepare your pen and paper as you lay down.
Tips for Physical Preparation:
- Maintain regular sleep patterns
- Avoid heavy meals before bedtime
- Don’t go to bed completely exhausted
- Consider occasional fasting
- Keep healthy daily habits
- Have writing materials ready
Living healthy through the day definitely improves memory both for the night and the day. You may find fasting helpful. One time on an extended fast I was amazed to remember 10 dreams in one night.
6. Master the Wake-Up Process
Want to remember your dreams? Wake up gracefully
We are told, “Be still and Know I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Waking is the best time to practice this. The moment you wake in the night, or in the morning, is your opportunity to recall.
Wake-Up Practice:
- Keep eyes closed upon waking
- Tune into recent dream experiences
- Notice any emotions or thoughts
- Stay still and quiet
- Welcome the Holy Spirit’s guidance
As you are coming out of sleep, even before you open your eyes, tune yourself to be aware of what has been happening. What you have been dreaming, thinking, what song has been going through your mind, or what emotions you are presently feeling?
Be still and be aware of God’s presence. “In quietness and trust will be your peace” (Isaiah 30:15). Let that peace rule in your heart and mind (Col 3;15). Silently welcome the Holy Spirit to do His work of reminding. Jesus assures us,
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26).
7. Recording Dream Fragments
Want to remember your dreams? Start with Fragments
With your pen and paper handy start writing what comes to mind, even if initially you only recall a piece.
If you don’t recall everything at once start with what you do remember. Just as we may reconstruct a conversation from earlier in the day by recalling where we were standing or by what we were eating, we can reconstruct a dream by beginning with a fragment.
Example of Fragment Analysis:
For example, all I may initially recall is finding myself sitting by the skipper at the helm of a boat. Then with questions I can begin to recall:
- What was the skipper like?
- How big was the boat?
- How fast was it going?
- What were the weather conditions?
- What was I doing there?
- What words were spoken?
- What were the sounds and feelings?
- Were there other people?
- What colors did I see?
We may have only the end of a string but if we carefully reel it in we may get everything attached to it. Many of us also find as we begin writing in our journals we start recollecting and writing the whole.
When Dreams Are Hard to Remember
What to Do When You Can’t Remember
I’m a little surprised when I wake and don’t recall a dream. If I am still for a while and yet don’t remember I don’t worry about it.
I know Christ my Lord has recorded my dream, and it is still inside me. He can remind me of it any time. I will thank God that He has it, and is still using it in the subconscious of my life.
I endeavor to go about my early morning quietly, mindfully and worshipfully. Sometimes the dream will pop up as I go along, or an experience during the day will bring it back.
Other times I actually rejoice when I don’t recall a dream because I can get a spiritual tummy ache and indigestion from having more than I can process. Remember, Jesus doesn’t want us bloated. He told His friends,
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (John 16:12-13).
If you don’t recall the dreams of the night don’t let it faze you. And don’t give up. God will be talking to you in a thousand ways through your day. Don’t spend a second regretting. Instead, pay attention to what God is doing this very moment. The presence of God is always in the now, this present second. Let’s not miss this moment because of regret over missing the last. Take advantage of hearing His voice during your waking hours by tuning your heart in the present moment, meditating on His word and being aware of His voice all about you in creation!
Working with Past Dreams
Review Former Dreams
If I don’t recall a dream I still go to my dream file, look up my last several dreams and meditate on them. I transcribe all my dreams into a computer.
If you’d like you can start your own Journal online at RevelationConnections.Vision Just go to the My Personal Journal Page.
I search my dreams, visions and prophecies for themes which stirs me at the moment. For example, I may search for:
- “Courage”
- “Leadership”
- “Wisdom”
- Names of friends or places
- Current news topics
- Recent conversations
After having a dream about India I may search my journal for other mentions of India. I may be thinking of a President and then review my dreams with Presidents. By reviewing and ruminating on my past dreams I discover in new ways the answer to our prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
The Ultimate Purpose
Remember the Great Goal
The object is not to collect the most dreams but to milk the ones we do have for all they are worth – to cultivate relationship with God. Better one dream well received, understood, interpreted and acted on than a thousand simply kept in a journal. It is not the number of dreams which counts but our responsiveness to the ones we have.
Our great goal is not, “to get a dream,” it is to come to know God and so to understand ourselves and the world around us.
Einstein’s Dream Example
Albert Einstein had a dream in his youth.
“I was sledding with my friends at night. I started to slide down the hill but my sled started going faster and faster. I was going so fast that I realized I was approaching the speed of light. I looked up at that point and I saw the stars. They were being refracted into colors I had never seen before. I was filled with a sense of awe. I understood in some way that I was looking at the most important meaning in my life.“
Einstein said his entire scientific career, including the Theory of Relativity, was a meditation on this dream. Not bad for one dream!
Concluding Thoughts…
We can’t go very far in interpreting and applying dreams if we can’t recall them. Make up your mind that God loves to communicate with you, in many ways, including your dreams.
Earnestly desire communion with Him, and pray. James tells us, “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2). Ask, and then believe for answers!
Prepare your body, mind and spirit to receive and remember your night visions. Don’t be discouraged and don’t give up.
A Lesson from Peanuts
I recall an old Peanuts cartoon. Lucy is daydreaming in the outfield with her glove at her side. A ball is hit to her and lands right at her feet. Charlie Brown says, “Oh No! Not again! All right Lucy…What’s your excuse this time.” The last slide shows Lucy, who has a boombox behind her feet with corded earphones on her head. She answers, “Just as the ball got to me Michael Jackson hit a high note!”
Don’t be distracted. Keep your mind on the game with feet spread, your knees bent, your eye on the batter and your glove up. Be prepared to receive and capture what the Lord is sending! Anticipate with this attitude; “The ball is coming to me!”
This is Steve Johnson with RevelationConnections.Vision Join our community. Discover what the Spirit of Jesus is speaking to other Listeners. Subscribe, and share the last-days revelations our Lord Jesus Christ, the King, is speaking to you with saints on our big, blue planet.
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