Interview with Tania Harris
God’s most common way of speaking in biblical history is through dreams and visions. But today many of us are more likely to dismiss our visionary experiences as the product of a spicy meal rather than a potential message from God. But could we be missing out on the voice we so long to hear?
In her new book God Dreams, global director of God Conversations Rev Dr Tania Harris unpacks the mysterious world of dreams and visions and shows how God is a masterful communicator and why a picture truly can paint a thousand words.
Revd Dr Tania Harris is an ordained minister with the Australian Christian Churches and makes her home in Sydney, Australia.
Tania, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a pastor, practical theologian, author, broadcaster and the Director of God Conversations (godconversations.com), a global ministry that equips people to recognise and respond to God’s voice.
Why did you decide to write God Dreams?
It really began with the first God-dream I experienced as a young adult. At the time, I’d never heard of hearing God’s voice in a dream. When I spoke with my friends, ministry colleagues and my pastor, they all thought it was strange. But then when I re-visited the Scriptures, I realised it wasn’t strange because they all heard from God this way!
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about hearing God in dream-visions through my ministry God Conversations, PhD research and my own spiritual journey. Hearing God in picture form is the most common form of divine communication in Scripture, yet many in the Western Church are unaware of it. There is scant teaching across the global church on dream-visions, and where there is, it usually comes without an understanding of the essential link to the continuing voice of Jesus in discipleship and the need for accountability in the local church. My prayer is that this book will be part of the solution.
Who have you written this book for?
Christians all over the global church who are seeking to hear God’s voice more clearly, as well as seekers who are open to the Christian faith and the spiritual realm.
Why do you think hearing from God in dreams has been so overlooked in the church in recent years?
A combination of factors:
Western rationalism (coming largely from the Enlightenment period) that tends to reject the supernatural and mystical.
The way that dream-visions have been misunderstood, mishandled and abused in the church (due largely to the disconnect between Jesus and the voice of Holy Spirit that stems from the Protestant Reformation).
The emphasis on the gift of prophecy (which is hearing God’s voice for another person) over and above hearing God’s voice for oneself that is distinctive of the New Covenant (Acts 2:17).
Why should we all look again at this method of God speaking to us? Is there really a biblical precedent for this?
Dream-visions make up 1/3 of the Old Testament. In the book of Acts, the vast majority of the (over 20) God conversations are dream-visions and the entire last book of the Bible is a series of dream-visions. If we take the Scriptures seriously, we should take dream-visions seriously.
Can you give us an example of hearing God through a dream in your life? How did this change you?
One of the most profound dreams in my life was key in finding a home to live in and an insight into my ministry calling. In the dream, I saw myself being shown around a grand and beautiful home. Compared to our tiny flat, it felt like a mansion. In the dream I knew it belonged to a wealthy banker. There was a room with French windows, white marble tiles on the floor and grand columns at the side. I was thinking, how did I get here?
Then the scene changed. I was walking down a road and met a young boy. He was playing with a toy periscope, but for some reason it was broken. He gave it to me to fix and I soon discovered the problem. The mirrors were fuzzy and I couldn’t see clearly into them. So, I took the mirrors out, replaced them with new ones and returned the periscope to him. Then I woke up.
The dream struck me as likely being from God because of the symbolism of the periscope. Periscopes are implements that help you to see around and over obstacles. Was God showing me something I normally couldn’t see? A few weeks later, the dream literally came to pass. I was offered a home to live in (rent free) while the owner - a banker - was overseas on a long-term contract. Just as I’d seen, there was a room in the house with French windows, white marble tiles on the floor and grand columns.
Through the dream, I witnessed God’s incredible provision for my life. But more than that, God spoke to me about my ministry calling, “I want to speak to my people – the problem is they can’t see what I’m saying because their mirrors are fuzzy. Your job is to clean the mirrors and give the periscope back to them so they can hear my voice for themselves.”
Can you just tell us a little more about the structure of the book, and why this is helpful to the reader?
God Dreams is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the nature of dreams and visions. I look at what they are, why God uses them to speak and where they come from. Here I draw on the fields of psychology, neuroscience and world religions in addition to the Christian Scriptures. While dream interpretation is more art than science, we gain much from the work of psychologists and neuroscientists. The goal is to see the bigger picture and gain wisdom from those who have gone before. Through it all, our main reference point is Jesus and his continuing mission through the Holy Spirit.
In the second part of the book, I explore the practicalities – how to understand dreams and visions and the language of symbolism. Here I delve into the best examples of visual
God-conversations from the time of the New Testament church, beginning with Peter’s vision of an unappetizing lunch in the early years of the first century and ending with John’s visions in the latter years. Understanding the creativity and efficacy of the Spirit’s communication in these visions provides profound insights into our own, including how to interpret dream-visions, where they come from, and how to know when they’re from God.
What one bit of advice would you give to someone who would like to start exploring this idea of God speaking to them in dreams?
Start with a foundation of what the voice of God “sounds” like. That is, learn about the living Word of God, Jesus from Scripture. Everything the Spirit says in dream-visions will be consistent with what Jesus has already said and done. Then, ask God to speak to you before you go to sleep.
What was the most challenging element of writing this book?
The section on the dream-visions of Revelation (included in Chapters 10-14). I had the practical tools for interpreting God’s picture language, but I also wanted to draw on the insights of biblical scholars who specialised in the book of Revelation. Hence, I joined a Revelation scholars’ group for a year in order to test my approach to dream-visions.
And what was the most rewarding element of writing this book?
The section on the dream-visions of Revelation (included in Chapters 10-14)!! As I applied the practical tools of interpretation, 90% of the book made sense. This was after a lifetime of not understanding it and being intimidated by it.
What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book?
That they will hear God’s voice clearly in dream-visions and in doing so, find the confidence to follow!
In one sentence, how would you describe God Dreams?
A thoroughly researched, biblically sound and practical guide to hearing God’s voice in dreams and visions.
Is there anything we can pray for you?
Open doors into global church denominations with the teaching of God Dreams.