God Speaks While You Sleep

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you’re running late, and in the dream your alarm clock keeps going off? You hit snooze again and again… only to wake up and realize your real alarm had been blaring the whole time!

That’s what dreams from God can feel like. Sometimes, we’re spiritually snoozing during the day, ignoring His voice, so He lets the “alarm clock” go off in our dreams. And unlike your morning alarm, when God sets it off, it’s not just to wake you up—it’s to guide you, encourage you, or warn you.

Recently, the Lord woke me up at 4 a.m. with a dream so vivid I couldn’t ignore it. I tried going back to sleep, but God pressed me: Get up and write. So, I grabbed my coffee and started jotting everything down before I forgot.

That’s something I want to encourage you to do as well: write down what God shows you—whether in a dream, prayer, worship, or during a sermon. It might be encouragement for you later, or a message for someone else.

Because here’s the truth: God still speaks. The question is, are we listening?

God Speaks in Many Ways

God isn’t silent. He speaks through:
 • His Word
 • Other people
 • Worship
 • Creation
 • And yes… even dreams

The Bible is filled with examples: Joseph in Genesis, Pharaoh, Daniel, Mary’s husband Joseph, the Magi, Pilate’s wife, and even Paul—all received direction, encouragement, or warnings through dreams.

Why dreams? Because they bypass our resistance.

When we’re awake, our minds are busy. We get distracted. We second-guess: Was that God or just me? But in dreams, our defenses are down. God has our undivided attention.

Job 33:14–16 (NASB95) says:

“Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.
In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds,
Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.”

God also uses dreams for guidance (Matthew 1:20), for encouragement (Acts 18:9–10), and to remind us of His work in the last days (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17).

My Dream: Jesus Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

The dream God gave me was heavy. Carly and I were visiting an older couple, sitting on a porch overlooking both a lake and the ocean. Suddenly, massive waves began to rise—like tsunamis. They pounded against the house.

As I stared in awe, I heard God speak audibly, giving me two Scriptures from John 4, where Jesus reveals to the Samaritan woman:

“An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:23, 26 NASB95)

In the dream, the older man suddenly found himself locked out of the room we were in. He tried to find another way in, but there was only one door. If he tried another way, he would drown.

God told me:

“When My Son comes it will be like a tsunami. Swift, sudden, unstoppable. No warning.
Go and warn the people. Jesus is coming. Hurry.”

Matthew 24:27 confirms this:

“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Friends, there is only one way in—Jesus.

John 14:6 (NASB95):

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 (NASB95):

“There is salvation in no one else.”

Not Buddha.
Not Muhammad.
Not Krishna.
Not Mary or the saints.
Not church attendance.
Not good deeds.

Jesus is the only way. Always has been, always will be.

A Wake-Up Call to the Church

There was one more detail in my dream. The old man’s wife sat there, unfazed by the waves, unmoved that her husband was locked out. She simply didn’t care.

Church—may we never become like that. May we never grow numb while people around us are lost, drowning without Christ.

This is not the time to be passive. It’s time to rise up with boldness, with compassion, and with urgency. Jesus came, died, rose again, and is returning soon. We cannot sit idly by.

The waves are crashing. The time is short. And God is calling His people to speak, to share, and to care.

Final Word

Dreams today remind us that we’re living in the “last days” reality. Not every dream is from God, but some are divine alarms meant to wake us up.

So, pay attention. Write them down. Pray over them. Let God use them to guide, encourage, and stir you for what’s coming.

Because here’s the message He gave me to share:

Jesus is coming sooner than you think. Be ready. And warn others.

Pastor James Socials