“And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.”
Joel 2:28

One night after completing my devotions and prayers, hoping for a good night sleep, I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes. But this night turned out to be different than most.

In my dream, I was brought to a place I’ve never been before – in the middle of a freshly plowed field, and my wife was there with me. Looking to the north, I could see a storm approaching. It was moving rapidly towards us with large dark clouds spinning as if with anger. It seemed we would surely be killed by the storm, but then I noticed a small house in the distance, at the end of the field.

Grabbing my wife’s hand, I told her we would be safe if we could reach that little house. Racing the storm, we ran to the house and slam the door behind us. However, our relief quickly vanished upon seeing that the roof of the house was missing!

As a storm closed in and swirled about us, we felt doomed. But then we noticed doves descending from heaven one by one. They kept coming and, huddling together, they formed a roof for the house. They settled over us, the storm subsided and sunlight began to break through the clouds.

The meaning of that dream unfolded a few months later when my physician reported that he was 90% sure that I had cancer. I clung to the outcome of that dream. The cancer was the storm I had seen coming and the field and house were my life. The doves represented divine protection. I had the assurance that God’s Holy Spirit was covering and protecting me. This gave me peace, and my peace turned to joy when, after the third visit to my physician, what had at first been diagnosed as cancer had disappeared. The storm had passed!

God, by the outpouring of his Spirit, has brought to pass his promise: “Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” We can thank our heavenly father for pouring out the Holy Spirit on us and for the dove from heaven who comes to give us peace in the storm!