3 December 2024
After a teaching day on 30 November 2024 going through Acts 13–14, I asked God why we could not have more miraculous things like the disciples in those chapters. That night I had this dream.
The dream
I was a Doberman and there was a cat with me. We were inside an apartment looking outside. We were on a high floor. Some humans came in. I was feeling hungry and I wanted treats. The human did not feed me anything but said, “This one is asking for more than he needs. These treats are not enough for him.”
What I take it to mean
I was praying for greater miracles, apostolic ones, not only the dreams that come true. In the dream I am a Doberman, hungry, wanting treats. A cat is with me. We are in an apartment on a high floor, looking outside. Humans come in. On this reading they are angels. They do not feed me. They say I am asking for more than I need, and that these treats are not enough for me.
That is the answer to the question about Acts 13–14. I asked for more miraculous things, like the disciples. The reply is that I am asking for more than I need, and that what is offered does not fit. I receive nothing.
The verses
The request that is not given:
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
(James 4:3 ESV)
“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
(James 4:2 ESV)
The greater signs, given according to will:
“God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
(Hebrews 2:4 ESV)
“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”
(Mark 16:20 ESV)
Angels appearing as men:
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
(Hebrews 13:2 ESV)
The portion measured against the dog:
“It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
(Matthew 15:26 ESV)
“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
(Matthew 15:27 ESV)
In the dream the treats are not given. The spoken reason is that I am asking for more than I need, and that these treats are not enough for me. That is the opposite of the crumbs. The portion is measured, and it does not fit, so I receive none.
The dreams that come true are already a portion. The greater signs of Acts 13–14 were asked, and the answer was that the ask was more than needed, and the offered treats did not fit. Hebrews 2:4 names the limit: distributed according to his will. James 4:3 names the other limit: asked wrongly. The dream says both in one sentence. I was asking for more than I need. The treats were not enough for me. I was not fed.
