No, this is not a devotional that starts with an old Everly Brothers hit song from the ‘60s. It is a devotional about dreams. Have you ever had a dream that really left you scratching your head? Or how about a dream in which you discovered a great truth, or a solution to a problem, or a dream that gave you special comfort or maybe even a recipe for a new cake? People can have a whole variety of dreams, but the problem arises when trying to recall the dream and to make sense of it. If we only had an interpreter. 

Many psychologists have made a career out of trying to interpret dreams. One of those findings I recall from my college years of studying psychology was the belief that if a person dreams he is falling and hits the ground then the interpretation is that the dreamer is going to die. Wow, that revelation isn’t helpful since we already know all of us are going die. But what if there was someone who could interpret your dreams, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Sadly, not even Joseph could interpret your dreams.

Wait a minute, didn’t Joseph interpret his own dreams about his brothers’ and father’s bowing down to him? Didn’t Joseph also interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker and two dreams of Pharaoh himself? The answer is no. Then what is Genesis 40 and 41 all about? It’s about God. God interprets the dreams of all and then allows Joseph the opportunity to tell each person about his God while he communicates the interpretation of their dreams.

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires’” (Genesis 41:15–16).

I hope you find this as a devotion of encouragement today. Yes, it’s a devotion about dreams, but if we understand that God can interpret our dreams, then our dreams will be fulfilled and revealed to us if the revelation and fulfillment will glorify God. When you read today’s Scripture, look and see how God is glorified.

“To God be the glory forever and ever! Amen” (Galatians 1:5).

David Blythe