Why Dreams and Why Now?
Paige Collins
4 min read ⭑
Research has shown that nearly everyone dreams while they sleep, and some studies indicate that up to 95% of people dream regularly. But do our nighttime visions and images hold any meaning for our waking lives?
As it turns out, millions of people are asking this same question.
Google Trends (which tracks trends in online searches) revealed that beginning in the spring of 2016, there was a slow and steady global rise in inquiries for the phrase “dream spiritual meaning” and related topics. Then, in the summer of 2020, an abrupt increase in these searches occurred as the line graph jolted upward sharply and continued to rise. At the time of this writing, Google Trends indicates that inquiries about dreams have fluctuated between 75-100% since the search engine began tracking trends in 2004.
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There is an “awakening” happening — and not just in the United States. Globally, people appear to be dreaming more than ever before. If we consider nothing more than basic search engine analytics, we find that people around the world are having dreams they believe to be significant — dreams that mean something. You might be one of those people.
Given that dreams are shrouded in mystery and symbolism, it’s no surprise that in response to the growing interest, New Age and Eastern gurus have flooded the marketplace with guides, websites, and journaling products written from a non-biblical and often occult-centered worldview. While some symbolism can seem universal, it’s vitally important that we seek to understand our dreams through a Christ-centered, biblical lens. Alternative resources offering counterfeit “truths” can be dangerous, leading readers to skewed and tainted answers for very legitimate questions that only the Holy Spirit can answer.
The Bible is filled with examples of God using dreams to speak prophetically, issuing warnings, revealing hidden truths and communicating about important things to come. Nearly every major character in the Bible heard from God in a dream or vision at one time or another. The Creator of the universe still speaks to those made in his image through dreams and visions. The apostle Peter reminded the early church at Pentecost of the words of Joel, “This is what I will do in the last days — I will pour out my Spirit on everybody and cause your sons and daughters to prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will experience dreams from God” (Acts 2:17, TPT).
Visions and dreams are by-products of His Spirit.
“How are we going to hear a whisper amid the booming chaos of modern-day media? Our minds and spirits are only ever truly quiet when we are sleeping. ”
Why Dreams and Why Now?
We’ve established, at least anecdotally, that God-inspired dreams are on the rise in our day. But why? I have a theory. In a fast-paced digital world, I believe these dreams are on the rise due to increased cultural “noise” levels.
TikTok, the short-form video social media app, rose to popularity in 2018, when it became the most downloaded app in the United States. It has continued to grow in popularity since then, becoming the most downloaded app in the world in 2020, 2021 and 2022, boasting nearly 1.6 billion active users. Recent data show that the average American spends seven hours and three minutes on screens per day (the global average is about the same), split between social media and streaming entertainment. Our eyes and ears are constantly intercepting chatter — our culture is loud. However, in 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah describes the voice of God as a “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12, NLT).
How are we going to hear a whisper amid the booming chaos of modern-day media? Our minds and spirits are only ever truly quiet when we are sleeping. I believe God is invading our sleeping hours — when no other distractions are competing for our attention — to speak and encounter his people.
I know what you must be asking: “If God wants to speak to us, why would he communicate in such a cryptic way? Why speak through veils and shadows in the night?” The answer is simple: intimacy. Uncovering the meaning behind what seems to be a cryptic language requires us to draw very, very close. And closeness — relationship — is what God desires more than anything else.
God conceals the revelation of his word in the hiding place of his glory. But the honor of kings is revealed by how they thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says (Proverbs 25:2, TPT).
It is an honor to seek out the deeper things of God. As we sit with him, talking, asking questions and, most importantly, drawing near to listen, we encounter a kind and loving Father and Friend who is eager to share secrets with us, his beloved children. It’s from the seat of intimacy — of knowing and being fully known in his love — that we are healed, delivered, unburdened and empowered to advance his kingdom in the earth.
I believe that he so passionately wants to have our attention that he will speak in our night seasons in order that we might become aware of his voice and seek to know him more.
Paige Collins is the founding partner of Icon Media Group, a premier PR firm specializing in faith and family entertainment. With over 25 years of strategic communications expertise, Paige has spearheaded high-impact publicity campaigns for major faith-based film releases, as well as for kingdom-driven nonprofits and brands, producing red-carpet premieres, intimate press conferences and behind-the-scenes media experiences. Beyond publicity, Paige is a multifaceted creative professional, serving as both film producer and screenwriter, leading her own film and television development company, Honeybee Entertainment — a calling she received in a dream.
Taken from Awaken Dream Journal by Paige Collins. Copyright © 2025. Used by permission of Whitaker House.
