Last night, I had an intense dream. At one point, I woke up in the middle of the dream like I was in an intermission at a theater. After the intermission, I went back to sleep and reentered the dream, and picked it up where I left off without missing a beat. I realized I was put in the dream to intensely feel what people will experience in the coming days as previously stable nations, financial institutions and governments begin to collapse.

In the dream, I drove to a neighboring city for the first day of work at a new job in a high-tech firm. My job was to sit in front of a small cubicle with an adding machine and a teletype to collect data and add up the numbers for the management. After nearly 8 hours in this extremely boring job, I had enough. I would not be returning the next day.

As the shift ended, I started to walk to my car but could not remember where it was parked. The car had not been stolen. I simply forgot where I parked it in the large complex of buildings and parking lots. The next scene had me riding a bicycle trying to cover more ground in search of my car. Anxiety began to mount as parking lot after parking lot did not produce the whereabouts of my car. I really wanted to get home. Finally, to expand my search, I took a turn that had me exit the parking lot and enter the city.

Once in the city, I had to pedal hard to keep up with traffic and negotiate a maze of unfamiliar streets. This went on for hours as the sun began to set, and darkness filled the streets. I began to feel desperation mounting and gripping my emotions. To add to my growing fear was the reality that I had no lights on the bike to help me see the way forward as darkness was descending over the city. Street after street did not offer any hope of ever finding the parking lot to get in my car and go home. I was hopelessly lost and confused. 

When I awoke, I was relieved to know it was a dream and not my life. It was a horrible feeling. The Lord was letting me feel the emotions of people who will find themselves unable to find their way home because they were either a believer who forgot where they had parked their faith, or they were someone who had not yet met the Lord. Both options were filled with feelings of hopelessness.

What is approaching our world will not overcome our faith if we know where our faith is parked. As events begin to unfold that dismantle the delusion that we are somehow in control of anything, desperation in the hearts of people will rise to levels not experienced in our lifetimes. We have lived in a nation where stability and predictability have given us a false sense of security. 

As these events transpire our ability to navigate, and in some cases survive, what is coming will be determined by knowing where our faith is parked in times of rapid and uncertain social change.  These events will provide us with a historic opportunity. It will be the beginning of a spiritual awakening, where we will be given opportunities to become witnesses revealing the love of God.  When large segments of an unbelieving nation and spiritual prodigals who have lost their way become frantic with increasing levels of fear, we will be able to lead them home to a place of peace and hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Fear has no place in our future if our faith has been placed in the Lord.