Q&A Dr. Charity Virkler Kayembe
Mysterious Ways|October - November 2019
A DREAM EXPERT AND AUTHOR ANSWERS OUR MOST PRESSING QUESTIONS.
Q&A Dr. Charity Virkler Kayembe
Does God still speak to us in dreams today? Scripture points to the answer: yes. God’s never-changing character (Hebrews 13:8) means he continues to meet with us at night, as he did in the times of the Bible, because sometimes it’s the only time our minds are quiet enough to hear him. Just as Jesus spoke in parables, God uses our dreams to convey messages to us. But how can we figure out what he’s trying to tell us? We asked Charity Virkler Kayembe, who has a doctorate in biblical studies and is the author of Hearing God Through Your Dreams, to share what she’s learned.

How significant are dreams to God?

Very! If we add up all the Scriptural references to dreams and visions, and all the interpretations and actions that people took because of dreams, it comes to a third of the Bible. In addition, many important events happened while our biblical heroes were sleeping. For instance, Solomon received his legendary gift of wisdom in a dream. And Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, received instruction to take Mary as his wife in a dream. Because God values dreams and visions, we should too.

Why are some dreams literal, while most are symbolic?

Some people, like creatives, visionaries—really right-brained people— have more literal dreams. But for 95 percent of us, our dreams are usually symbolic, speaking to us in a figurative language we need to learn to understand. Symbolic language does not make the dream any less valid or true. Remember Joseph’s dream in which the sun, moon and 11 stars were bowing before him and all of his family members immediately recognized what the symbols represented (Genesis 37:9–10)? Though the meaning was veiled in figurative expressions, it was a true message to Joseph from God.

Why does God allow deceased loved ones to appear in a dream?

This story is from the October - November 2019 edition of Mysterious Ways.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October - November 2019 edition of Mysterious Ways.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MYSTERIOUS WAYSView All
Ivy Dishes
Mysterious Ways

Ivy Dishes

“My mom found a house for us to look at,” said my fiancé, Jon. “It’s in Richfield, not far from where I grew up.”

time-read
4 mins  |
February/March 2021
The Duet
Mysterious Ways

The Duet

“Can you perform a hymn for us next week?” my pastor asked me after Sunday service.

time-read
2 mins  |
February/March 2021
The Girl in the Dream
Mysterious Ways

The Girl in the Dream

Was this a church? The high, vaulted ceilings made it seem like one—almost but not exactly.

time-read
5 mins  |
February/March 2021
News From Around Our Wonderful World
Mysterious Ways

News From Around Our Wonderful World

Liverpool, England Joanne Carr is hailing her son, Dougie McInerney, as her guardian angel.

time-read
2 mins  |
February/March 2021
A Light in the Blizzard
Mysterious Ways

A Light in the Blizzard

I stepped on the gas and shifted into drive, then reverse, then back into drive again.

time-read
4 mins  |
February/March 2021
Straight From the Fish's Mouth
Mysterious Ways

Straight From the Fish's Mouth

Florence, Italy. I’d been there before on one of those scruffy five-dollar-a-day youth-hostel jaunts through Europe, but now, just graduated from college, I was wondering what to do with my life.

time-read
5 mins  |
February/March 2021
Divine Callings
Mysterious Ways

Divine Callings

Have you ever felt called to a purpose?

time-read
8 mins  |
February/March 2021
Dad's Voice
Mysterious Ways

Dad's Voice

As I reached to turn off the lamp on my bedside table, my eyes fell on the card my brother Isaac had given each of us siblings on what would have been Dad’s sixty-eighth birthday.

time-read
3 mins  |
February/March 2021
Ben's Answer
Mysterious Ways

Ben's Answer

It was midafternoon, and I was already curled up on the couch in the living room with no plans to move.

time-read
3 mins  |
February/March 2021
A Doll's Hat
Mysterious Ways

A Doll's Hat

My fears around the surgery built all day.... God, please let me be as strong as my young patients are.

time-read
3 mins  |
February/March 2021