March 23, 2016, I had two dreams. The quality of the dreams was different than any other dream I have ever experienced. I awoke confident that God sees me and understands my situation. Comforted by the dreams, I courageously walked into an unknown future.

In Judges 7, Gideon is asked to take a stand against the enemies of Israel. He hesitates, after all, he is the youngest of the family and his family is the smallest of all. In other words, I’m the runt. What could he possibly do against the formidable Midianites?

Gideon agreed to lead an army against Midian and their allies. He sounds the battle cry and thousands of warriors respond. But God said there were too many; he needed to send some home. So he did. There were still too many. He sent more home. Left with only 300 men to fight against “the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east {who} had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!” the odds were not in Gideon’s favor. Humanly speaking, that is. God advised him to sneak into the enemy camp and listen to what the people were saying. So he did. And this is what he heard:

The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”

Judges 7:13-14

Gideon returned home, full of courage that he would succeed against the vast army before him.

Sometimes our dreams give us courage to do the next right thing. At just the right time, God sends messages while we sleep to assure us that he sees us and is with us during our awake hours.

Take courage, friends. Be strong and of great courage. He is with you. He goes before you. He has you in his mind. Your future is in HIS hands, no matter what it looks like in the daylight.