The Night a Dream Saved a Girl’s Life

Before Tammy and I had children, we spent endless days and nights remodeling an old farmhouse that had been in our family for over a century. The walls creaked, the floors slanted, and the work seemed never-ending. But it was ours, and we poured our sweat and love into making it a home.

One night, after another long day of labor, I fell into a deep sleep. What happened next still makes my heart race to this day.

I dreamed I saw a young girl in danger—two men dragging her through the shadows, her muffled cries swallowed by the night. It was so vivid, so real, that when I jolted awake my shirt was damp with sweat and my chest was pounding like a drum. Tammy stirred beside me, reaching out with concern.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

I told her the dream, still shaken. She listened carefully and then, with surprising firmness, said: “Eddie, you need to go now and help her.”

I pushed back. “It was just a dream.”

But she wouldn’t let it go. “Didn’t you say it felt real? Didn’t you say you sensed the Holy Spirit?”

I hesitated. “…Yes. But still—it was a dream.”

Then Tammy asked the question that pierced my excuses: “What if it wasn’t just a dream? What if it was the Holy Spirit—and He needs you to help that girl?”

Those words hung in the room like a command. Job 33 came alive to me that night:

“For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night…” — Job 33:14–15 (NIV)

Moments later, I was in the car, headlights cutting through the dark country road. The four-mile drive into town felt endless. Doubt screamed in my head: You’re crazy. Nothing will be there. You’ll be humiliated.

But I kept driving.

As I turned into the alley behind the local tavern, my headlights caught a scene that froze me to the core. Two men were dragging a young woman across the gravel lot.

Before I could think, instinct took over. I floored the accelerator, honking my horn and flashing my high beams. Gravel sprayed as my car slid toward them. Startled, the men dropped the girl and bolted into the night.

I jumped out, helped her into my car, and drove her straight to the police station. I gave them the report—but I’ll admit, I left out the part about the dream and Tammy’s encouragement.

Later, as I replayed it in my mind, I realized something remarkable: God had alerted me nearly 30 minutes before the attack ever took place. He didn’t just warn me—He guided me, putting me in the right place at the right time.

It reminded me of another moment in Scripture:

“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” — Matthew 2:12 (NIV)

The same God who guided Joseph and the wise men through a dream had guided me that night.

Jesus promised us this very thing:

“He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” — John 16:13 (NKJV)

That night taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life: God still speaks. He speaks through His Word. Through wise counsel. And yes—sometimes through dreams.

I’ll be honest—my obedience wasn’t instant. I wrestled, I doubted, I argued with myself. But Tammy’s encouragement nudged me forward, and because I listened, a young woman’s life was spared.

And that’s why I say: if it hadn’t been for Tammy, I might have missed one of the most unforgettable Holy Spirit adventures of my life.

So let us be people who listen when the Spirit speaks—even when it feels unusual, inconvenient, or uncomfortable. Because when God speaks, it is always for a reason.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25 (NIV)