SermonStudio

Joyce Schroer

A few weeks ago, I had a most unsettling dream. It awakened me in the night and I could not go back to sleep. I dreamed that I was sitting on a creek bank, with an unidentifiable friend, and we were chatting, when suddenly I looked down to see an adder's den below our feet. I started to jump up, but the snakes had crawled up into our clothing and jackets. They frightened me, but not one of them bit me.

I awakened and thought, what a strange dream. I ought to call my friend Mindy (who was always interested in dreams) and see if she can help me understand the meaning. Of course, by morning, too many other things were on my mind and I did not give Mindy a call.

Two nights later, I had another unsettling dream. This time I was swimming. The water was murky and I felt something around my legs. Through the murky water I could see a huge sea creature. I jumped out of the water and onto the bank just in time, again without injury.

I awakened and thought, another strange dream! I really do need to call Mindy. Once more, I was too busy the next day to follow through.

Several nights later, I had a third unsettling dream. This time I was in a large house. It had many rooms and I was part of a procession. There were six of us, walking from room to room in a most orderly fashion. We were carrying bowls of Jell-O. As we neared the screen door, one person turned and exited, and the screen door slammed shut.

I awakened. I lay in bed and wondered, what do these dreams have in common? I thought and thought. Then I prayed, "God, I don't understand what these strange dreams mean, but if you have a message for me, please make it clear. You know that I can be rather slow and dense." Nothing came as I waited for God to speak to me. Then, before drifting off to sleep, the verse "My grace is sufficient for thee," came to my mind. I thought, "Okay, and thanks God, but I still don't understand." "My grace is sufficient for thee." I did not sense that I was going through a time in my life that I needed reassurance of God's grace. I decided I had waited long enough. I definitely needed to call Mindy.

Mindy has been one of my prayer partners for over ten years. There were six of us that covenanted with one another and we met weekly for study and prayer. Over the years, we became a very close-knit group of friends. Each one of us was different and we all had different gifts. I appreciated Mindy's gift of insight and her expertise when it came to dream interpretation.

I called Mindy first thing in the morning. She answered and I started with the formalities ... "Hello, how are you?"

She said, "I'm dying!"

"What? Dying?"

Mindy proceeded to tell me that had I waited ten more minutes to call she'd have been on her way to the hospital. Her cancer was back, it had snaked its way all through her body. The tumor was so large it changed the shape of her body such that she looked distorted ... the treatment she was scheduled for was so severe that the last time she'd had it, she nearly died.

I told her that I thought I had a message for her from God, "My grace is sufficient for thee." I cried, told her how much I loved her and that she'd be in my prayers. Then I proceeded to look up 2 Corinthians 12:8. I have not had any unsettling dreams since.