And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." Acts 18:9-10

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision…” Can the Lord speak to us today through dreams and visions? Yes, He can. But does He? Not regularly, not chiefly. The Lord’s primary way to speak to His people in our day is through His Word, the Bible. Here are some reasons.

He spoke through prophets in the Old Testament, and the Apostles in their day because they were His special messengers. He gave them special revelation, not about which car to buy, or which job to take, but about doctrine, which they were to communicate to His Church. That inspired communication was written down and preserved in the pages of the Bible. We hear from God through His Word when we read and study it, and when we hear it preached and taught by those He has gifted to help us understand. They were special messengers, we are not.

Another reason God speaks through His Word, rather than through dreams and visions, is that the written Word is communicated objectively, and by God’s grace it has been preserved without change for our edification. Dreams and visions are subjective (rather than objective). This means they are easily misunderstood by us. And because dreams and visions are subjective, we may remember them one way today and differently (if at all) next week.

I charge you, brethren, do not seek special revelation from God through dreams, visions, or impressions. Seek God’s voice where we can trust it: from His unchanging Word, the Bible.

A Footnote: Beware of anyone who tells you, “God told me…” Listen only to those who point you to scripture!