Look At The Context

Dream interpretation doesn’t look like piecing together a bunch of different elements. The dream’s context plays a huge role in the interpretation.

Rui dreamed he was a guest on Michael Brown’s radio show, “Ask Dr. Brown.” As he and his wife walked up to the studio, Rui saw high mountains all around them. The mountains were distinct in the dream. 

During the show, a caller asked, “What is the dirt path next to your studio?” 

Dr. Brown replied, “Oh, that’s the ancient path many great men and women of God have walked down.”

At the end of the dream, Rui and his wife were walking down the dirt path. 

This is a fun dream where God is letting Rui know that his relationship with Dr. Brown (they’re friends in waking life) will help him travel down the ancient paths into God’s deeper wisdom (see Jeremiah 6:16).

As he and I discussed this dream, Rui asked an interesting question: Were the mountains obstacles? That’s a common metaphor in Western culture. We say things like, “A mountain stands in the way.” 

But this is where context comes in. Nothing in the dream suggests the mountains are negative. In fact, it’s more likely they have something to do with Israel, a nation dear to Rui’s heart. The Bible talks about Jerusalem being a city surrounded by mountains. I know Rui has been praying for Israel, and his friend Dr. Brown is a Messianic Jew. 

The dream’s context will often give you a negative or positive “feel” for the different elements, which can help you discern the beautiful things God is saying.

To learn more about context and why knowing the dreamer can be helpful, check out episode 23 of The Dreams Guy podcast.