Vision

Forward Facing
Vision Direction Purpose in a busy world

Ecc 3:11
Yet God made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

We often look at this verse and think about it in the context of eternity and salvation. That is true, there is a part of us that will never be satisfied without God. But this verse speaks of God’s kingdom purpose, his eternal purpose that is so hard for us to grasp. Yet God has placed eternity in our hearts.

There is a desire for a greater purpose, planted by God. It’s a kingdom purpose. We may not understand the whole purpose, the whole scope of what God is doing, but we can get God’s perspective for our part, for his purpose for us.

It begins with vision and the vision that we have for our life.

Dr Leaf
“Are you so busy twittering the moment that you forget about enjoying the moment”

We live in a world full of social media, with lots of options and opportunities, there are lots of ideas and lots of possibilities. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. Sometimes we are so caught up in the day to day necessities of life, getting up, going to work, getting kids to school, picking kids up, helping with homework etc. that we can lose sight of where we are meant to be headed. We can lose sight of God's kingdom purpose for us.

Having a vision for our life helps us to stay on track.

What is vision anyway?

The dictionary describes vision as :
Sensing with the eyes – sight
Anticipating what will or may come
Something that appears vividly or credibly in the mind – though not actually present
A vivid or imaginative conception or anticipation

The Bible describes it as divine communication from God, vision, or a vision from God especially respecting future events.

Maybe we don’t even have a vision, or we did, and it got side tracked by life’s circumstances. So which way do we go? How do we develop vision?

Abram was told to go to the land that God would show him. The magi followed a star. They had something to watch, something in front of them that guided them on their way. They had a vision of something to guide them. Abram had God’s word and direction, even though he didn’t know the final destination for quite some time.

So often we wonder which way we are going. Where are we headed? What are we doing, who are we following?

Prov 29:18
Without a vision, people perish NKJV

Without a revelation, people cast off restraint. NIV

A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. GNT

If people can’t see what God is doing they stumble all over themselves. But when they attend to what he is doing they are most blessed. MSG

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. Lack of vision causes us to “run wild” to be all over the place instead of moving forward, we are everywhere, often unaware of where we are really supposed to be. Vision is important to a productive future. It gives us a direction to follow.

Divine guidance is available, but people do not accept the guidance that is available for them. God promised the pouring out of his spirit (Joel) on all people. Part of that would be divine visions. Visions are both things that we see with the inner eye, and God given visions.

1. Vision is about perspective
What is our perspective?

Churches, Companies etc. have a vision. Why? Because they know that to move forward it’s important to have something to aim for and to look forward to.  Its crucial to know what you are doing something for. Its the perspective they have, that drives what they do. They don’t just have a vision because it’s a nice thing to have – or if they do, they won’t be too effective. 

Our perspective can hinder or help our vision. A small perspective hinders vision. I believe we need to enlarge our perspective. What are you looking at? Both Abram and the magi (Matt 2) had a bigger perspective. They were looking up. A star appears in the sky and you have to look up and see it. We need to look up and see a larger perspective and a larger vision. It’s about having a bigger perspective on life, focussing on where we are headed rather than the immediate circumstance.

In life we all have limiting beliefs that can stop us moving forward in a productive way. A limiting belief can hinder vision, because it’s a limited perspective. For example if you are standing right next to an ocean liner, it seems huge, and it is. But once you get a different view, a different perspective it changes how you see things. If you move away and get a bigger picture, you can see more, and see where ypu are going.

When I’m on the ground, the liner blocks all in front of me and obscures my vision. When I’m on a hill, I see past the liner and to the possibilities beyond. Moving forward in the busy life requires us to look past the busyness that blocks our perspective and to see a larger picture. In fact the greater the perspective, the more you see.

Choosing a bigger perspective, being deliberate about looking at a bigger picture helps us create a bigger vision. Flying home from Port Macquarie recently and coming in over Sydney, the ocean liners that had looked so large when I was standing next to them the week before, looked like toy boats. The only difference was that my perspective had changed. I had greater vision, and what seemed like an obstacle became insignificant.

Are we looking at the obstacles and the things that obscure the vision or are we raising our eyes, looking up and gaining a different perspective.

Prov 3:21 My child don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.

Its possible to lose sight of something because we are looking at the wrong thing. God promised Abraham he would be the father of a nation, of millions of people. That was the vision. But he lost sight of the vision and began to look at the circumstance and God had to remind him about the vision – to look up – to see God’s perspective. (Genesis 15)

When we look past the everyday and we look at the bigger picture, we can see what is possible. Vision requires looking at the big picture and having a larger perspective.

What are you looking at?

What is your perspective?

What limiting beliefs do you have?

What do you personally need to do to enlarge your perspective?

2. Vision sets direction
The way we face is the way we go.

Vision is not about our past, its about our future and where we are going. When we have vision, we have a direction that we move in, towards the fulfilment of the vision, if we keep the vision in front of us. Vision gives us something to aim for.

God gives revelation, understanding, and vision. We can askourselves: What is my vision, what is God’s vision, for my life, my family, and my friends? You don't have to have it all right yet. We are a work in progress.

Phil 3:12
Forgetting what is past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

If we want to move forward, we have to look forward to where we are going and not where we have been. Having a vision for our life is about the future and not about the past. It does not matter what your past has been, because it does not determine your future.

When we constantly focus on the past we are not looking in the right direction, and our vision becomes blocked and we stumble. The decisions you make today, to look up, to look forward, to look ahead will determine the future.

What are you looking at?

Where are you facing?

What will you do to change the focus of your life?

3. God restores vision
Sometimes vision has got lost in the day to day life circumstances.

Maybe things did not go according to plan, or something happened and we feel we have lost the chance or the opportunity.

Psalm 6:7
My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out by all my enemies.

This may be about physical vision, but it’s true of vision in general. Grief and disappointments can blur the vision and obscure it. The good news is that God restores our vision. Jesus restored physical vision, but he also helped people to regain inner vision.

Luke 7:21
At that time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.

John 9:39
I entered the world to render judgement – to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they can see that they are blind!

Jesus understood that sight was not just physical sight and vision, but that inner sight, the mind’s eye, the things we see, can be restored. When people realise they cannot see, God restores vision.

God poured out his spirit, so we would see visions, and have dreams. (Joel 2:28) When we seek God, he will show us his vision for our life. The vision that God restores to us is not second rate, but is divine vision.

Ps 40:5
You Lord have done many marvellous things and you have planned marvellous things for us.

When we seek God, he will show us marvellous things. Things that are amazing.

2Cor 2:9 
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

God will show us his vision for our lives if we will let him.

John 10:10
My purpose is to give life in all its fulness

Jesus restores to us the visions we have lost and gives us new revelation of his plans and purposes for us, for our families, for our work, for our life.