It’s out there. It’s waiting for you to recognize it, then commit your life to following it.
The “it” is God’s vision for your life.
Would your family and friends and neighbors and co-workers say you’ve caught it?
His vision for each of our lives is light years away from anything we could think or imagine. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul teaches, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” Again, Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Things which eye has not seen and ear had not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man–All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” So if we choose to love Him, as we are commanded to do, all His spiritual blessings are available to us right now. And they are far better than anything we could imagine for our lives on our own. Jeremiah 33:3 (often referred to as God’s telephone number) says, “Call on Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things you do not know.”
Our commitment to follow His vision for our lives reveals the marvelous mystery of His miraculous vision for each of us. First we must be in a position to see and hear God’s vision. Do you expect to hear from God when you call on Him? Habakkuk 2:1 says, “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.” The watch tower in Habakkuk’s day was high enough for the guard to see in all directions. He could see any movement on the horizon that surrounded him. Are you keeping watch? Are you prepared to see whatever Jesus wants to do in and through you? Is your heart open to His direction? Are you ready to respond to Him in obedience? When He reproves you and says, “You want to go this way, but I want you to go another way,” are you prepared to follow His direction?
Besides remaining watchful we would also be wise to write down the vision God shows us. Make His vision for your life permanent when He reveals what He wants you to do. It is so easy to forget later on what God says to us if we don’t write it down. There’s something about writing down things, in a notebook or a journal, that helps us remember it. According to some researchers, we remember 20% of what we hear, 30% percent of what we see, and 50% of what we hear and see. Ergo, if we hear from God and write it down, we’ll remember what God says. When we periodically review what we’ve written down, our retention remains. Then, if we discuss what we hear and write down with others, our retention jumps to 80%! Write it down.
The more we watch expectantly and document what God shows us, the easier we recognize that His timing is connected to His purpose. Habakkuk 2:3 tells us, “For the vision is yet for the appointed time.” One of the hardest truths we have to learn about God is that He doesn’t wear a watch. He has a plan that unfolds when and how He appoints it to happen. Man invented time, and man suffers in it when he places time limits, parameters and own own expectations on God. We also need to recognize that failure is not an option for God. Habakkuk ells us in verse three, “It (God’s vision) hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
It is impossible for God to fail. What He promises, what he speaks, will happen. That is His purpose. That is His promise. That is God’s nature.
Habakkuk 2:3 continues, “Though it tarries, wait for it.” God’s purpose and His work do not unfold when we expect them to, and,most often, not the way we want them to. They unfold at the perfect time He chooses, which, coincidentally, is the perfect time for us. We live in a sit-com society. We want things resolved in 30 minutes. We want answers and we want them now. God does not work like that. Pray for patience. Isaiah 30:31 speaks to, “those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” In other words, if we wait on God to do things in His timing, we will enjoy the fruits of our patience.
Above all else, we experience the blessings of God’s vision for our lives when we depend totally on Him. When we die to self and, by faith, put our lives and wills in God’s hands our lives will experience more of what God’s vision provides. We must avoid confidence in our own abilities. Pride in our own skill sets causes spiritual tension in us. When we override the Spirit’s leading, we act and respond outside the will of God. We must also be willing to commit to living in a righteous relationship with Jesus. We can not do that on our own. We must get to the end of self and abide in Him. Only Jesus can live a righteous life. And He can only accomplish God’s vision for our lives when we live by faith that He will do His work in us. Verse 3:4 ends with, “The righteous will live by his (our) faith.”
Are you compelled to live by God’s vision? Are you motivated by His purpose for your life? Do you live out of God’s word? Don’t answer, “Yes, yes, yes,” too quickly. These are questions to help us decide whether we are core believers. Meditate on these questions this week. Scour God’s word. Pray. Don’t answer the questions until you know in your heart that your answers reflect the truth about your relationship with Jesus and you’re living out God’s vision for your life.