OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself who are the characters mentioned in v. 1:20?
1. Joseph, son of David
2. An angel of the Lord
3. Mary
4. Holy Spirit

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do I learn about the angel of the Lord?
1. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream during a crisis in Joseph's life.
2. An angel of the Lord addressed Joseph as son of David.
3. An angel of the Lord told Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as his wife.
4. An angel of the Lord told Joseph, what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself what is the significance of the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream?
I found it so wonderful to know when Joseph faced a crisis that was critical, he took time to consider what the most loving response even in pain should be. As he considered the course of action to take against Mary for what he had perceived to be infidelity, an intervention occurred. This intervention was through the means of a dream as Joseph fell asleep. If he fell asleep, this also tells us that Joseph did not act right away but pondered his decision in pain. It is in his pain that the angel of the Lord comes to handle his crisis. By the angel of the Lord telling Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife. the angel of the Lord is assuring Joseph that there is no infidelity involved and Mary has been faithful to him even though she is pregnant. If the angel of the Lord stopped there, Joseph could have still had questions and confusion so the angel of the Lord tells him exactly why he should not be afraid. It is because 'what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit'. Wow!

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
Just as the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to help him handle the crisis he was going through as he carefully considered his decision, the Lord can intervene in my life too to help me make decisions that are right in His eyes when I lovingly consider a course of action in a crisis. It means I should not be reactive too quickly in a situation but wait on the Lord. I need to give the Lord the opportunity to intervene. I cannot help wonder how much Joseph prayed in the crisis when the word 'considered and dream' are thought about.

I know the Lord can reveal a right response, especially in areas of my fears, just as He did for Joseph. When the Lord reveals a course of action, He will make it clear to me that it is from Him and that I need not be afraid to go the path He wants me to take. Wow! Thank you Lord. It could be through a dream or any other means that do not contradict His Word. I need to wait on Him.

I ask you now dear friend, what has a D.R.E.A.M revealed to you?
Dear friend, a dream can reveal to you the way of the Lord if He chooses that avenue; it can reveal what the Lord wants you to do; it can reveal principles for living; it can reveal things to come; it can reveal warnings of what could happen that need prayer to overcome; it can reveal what our subconscious is bothered by, etc. But what is the most important thing to consider in a dream is whether that dream's message is in line with God's Word. If the dream does not contradict God's Word, it is a message to follow. I came to realize long time ago that God is not limited in the way He reveals Himself or the message He wants to convey so He can still speak to us in dreams if He chooses to. 

'In the last days, 'God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. (Acts 2:17)

We can never claim authority from a dream if that dream contradicts God's Word. That alone means not all dreams are from God to give us a message. Many dreams can just be gibberish and make no sense. As we spend more and more time with the Lord and ask Him to reveal what a dream is supposed to mean, He will do that for us. Thank you Jesus!

I have shared this with many of you. Sixteen years ago, I was deeply heart-broken because a relationship I thought would lead to marriage failed. As I cried out to the Lord on my bed, I fell asleep. When I woke up, the words of Jesus to Jairus after Jairus daughter died came to me: 'Do not be afraid, just believe'. These words from God were very powerful because I felt the Lord telling me 'Just as Jairus felt hopeless and afraid that his daughter will not live anymore, you are feeling hopeless and afraid regarding this relationship that will not live anymore but I do not want you to be afraid but just believe.' In essence, Jesus was telling Jairus to believe in Him without fear and Jesus was telling me the same thing when I felt the relationship died.

Then, I remembered a dream from that night I also received. In that dream, I saw a figure in dazzling white climb up a mountain slowly. I felt that white figure was Jesus. I asked myself 'why would Jesus climb up the mountain and it occurred to me that Jesus wanted to spend time with Father God and a relationship with God was paramount to Jesus. From reading the Bible, I remembered that Jesus usually went to the mountain to pray and have a relationship with God.

It is then I realized that I was so focused on being in an earthly relationship that can lead to marriage forgetting the Giver of the sanctity of marriage. It is God who ordained marriage and if I want to be married, I need to know the heart of God first. Before pursuing any earthly relationship, I need to fall in love with my first love and get to know Jesus more and more. The only way I could do that without error was through knowing His Word and following the Word.

I recalled that I had never read the Bible in it's entirety to know the heart of God from Genesis to Revelation. So, that day I told myself, ' I need to love Jesus more than anyone else and be in a relationship with Him and understand His heart before even thinking about pursuing another relationship. It is then I decided that I would read the Bible in 33 days. During that time, I also sought the Lord in the kind of questions I should ask when I  come across a relationship that I think could lead to marriage. As I read the Word, I came up with 40 questions to ask that were biblically based. It is during that time,  that a signature verse for my life was also revealed: 'But, life is worth nothing to me unless I use it to do the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others about God's mighty goodness and love!' (Acts 20:24)

 Marriage or anything will mean nothing without serving the Lord in my life. After, I finished reading the Bible, I also found out that my mommy wanted a bride for me who would love Jesus more than anyone else. I also wanted a bride who would love Jesus more than me.

Four years later since that dream and 2.5 years of online courtship, going through all 40 questions, counsel of my mommy, Pastor Hugo, Edwin, Marie, Kristen, Josh, Bryan, Lydia, Calvin, Elise, the Lord brought my precious Chandraleela, a wonderful woman of God into my life to be my beautiful bride. At the time Pastor Hugo at my request took time to even go through all 248 pages of our correspondence to give me wisdom from a pastoral point of view regarding this match. My mommy gave her blessings to marry Chandraleela; my pastor gave his blessings to marry Chandraleela with a stern warning: 'Don't lose Chandra. If you lose this relationship because of your shallowness, don't come crying back to me. She is the right one for you'.

I am so glad that the Lord used all of their advice in my life. Having the blessing of my mommy and Pastor Hugo was enough because I already knew she was from the Lord for me. I just needed more confirmation. Later, her entire family (Elisha, Sunandha, Vidhya, Pravallika, and Chandra's mommy) her pastor, etc gave their blessings for our marriage. I have been blessed with such loving in-laws too that I am speechless. Thank you Jesus. When Jesus, gave me Chandraleela, He not only gave her to me but a wonderful family, I fell in love with.

This all started with prayer and a dream leading to the completion of God's Word and my marriage to my sweetheart. Now, I as share this,  we are blessed to have been married for 12+ years, having our precious daughters Esther (10+)  and Evangeline (7+) old.

So dear friend, whatever you are going through whether it is as painful as what Joseph had to deal with, what I had to deal with, etc, the Lord Jesus loves you so much and cares for you. He wants to take care of you as you yield your life to Him. In your pain, He will reveal the answers to you and tells you 'Do not be afraid, just believe'. Don't take your dreams lightly if you suspect there is a message from the Lord. But, remember that the dreams the Lord gives will never be selfish based on self-centeredness. My dream focused on getting to know the Creator of the Universe before I get to know His creation. It was God-centered and the response of finishing the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation was God-centered for me.

Whatever you are going through, wait on the Lord this Christmas season during Advent and help Him get you through. Though things may look bleak, you will never be out of His love and never be out of His reach. He loves you as you are and will help you through. In areas of pain and uncertainty, He is the only One that can give you peace. So, come as you are to the throne of grace and receive help in time of need. The Lord Jesus will use the Word of God that will sustain you and me so turn to the Word of God as I did reading the whole Bible in 33 days. Look to the Lord for your help. He could help through different means as He chooses whether it is a dream or not.

Turn to the Lord of Hope and you will be turning to Hope. May you experience the powerful love of the Lord this Christmas season. Amen!

"Dream Revealed Emmanuel's Awesome Message!" (D.R.E.A.M)/"What has a D.R.E.A.M revealed to you?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much that you sent an angel of the Lord to speak to Joseph, for you existed from the beginning and became God-incarnate to rescue humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Oh Lord, thank you for how you help when we wait upon you. We have seen that in Joseph's life and I have seen that in my own life. Help us not to rush into decisions in moments of crisis but wait on you Lord for those who wait upon you Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint. Thank you so much Jesus. I pray Oh Lord for the one who is so confused right now and in terrible pain that you would reveal yourself to them and let them know you are not constrained by time. You Oh Lord know the hopes and dreams of those who are in pain. Help them Oh Lord. This Christmas season let them know that you are the Source of Life and the Giver of Hope. Thank you for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save by your precious Blood shed on the cross to all those who turn to thee. Thank you so much Jesus. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!