Whose vision are you running with?
“Then the Lord said to me,
‘Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3 NLT)
In the month of January, there are vision board parties, New Year’s resolutions challenges, and discounted gym memberships galore. There are think pieces, sermons, and podcasts demanding that you find a vision for the upcoming year. God-forbid you are not able to pinpoint exactly what car, house, or man you are determined to have by the following New Year’s Eve countdown! Talk about pressure…
The first time I received a vision from God, it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It was as if I was watching the future of my dreams unravel before my eyes! Details about who would be impacted, what materials I would need, it all spilled from my brain onto paper faster than I could keep up. That was the first time I read Habakkuk’s God-given vision in chapter 2. There was something poetic about the guarantee that even if the vision felt delayed to me that it would, indeed, come to pass. One of my favorite things about the Bible is the way that it comes alive as you read. You can read the same passage of scripture 100 times, and get various revelations each time. Not because you were wrong the first time, but because God has no limit to His complexity.
Today I read Habakkuk 2 again, but this time I saw a detail that I think we often miss in this scripture. As God is instructing Habakkuk to write the vision, and giving him assurance that it will come to pass, it is so important to know that the vision was SOLELY from God’s mind to Habakkuk. Read it again. The vision was God’s, not Habakkuk’s. This challenges the way society dictates the way we ought to manifest more money, new businesses, perfect relationships, and bigger cars in our visions. I wonder, did your vision for what you were to accomplish in 2020 come from God or the culture? Did your expectation for a successful year involve the number of souls saved or was it the number of followers you added to your social media account? (I promise the Holy Spirit is reading my life while I type this) Let it sink in. Be honest! This is between you and God.
My sister, (and brother, if you’re reading this!) God is not here to condemn you today. Instead, here we are in a brand new year with an opportunity to invite Him to give you His vision for your year. Will you be open to what He shows you? What if it involves increased testing of your faith? What if it involves sacrifices you will have to make this year? What if God’s vision includes you coming out of your comfort zone to share the Gospel more, or speak out against sin? There is hope: HE IS WITH YOU. As you choose His vision over your own, be strengthened in the knowledge that there will never be a day you walk alone.
Prayer:
Wow, Lord. My heart feels convicted. I admit that some of my goals for previous years were based on what the culture told me I should be chasing. I honestly have not asked you what Your vision was, or I have asked and I failed to follow through. Thank you for new mercies every single day! Thank you for giving me the power and desire to do what pleases You! Thank you that as I seek you, I will find you this year. I pray that You would give me a clear vision for what is to come, and the patience when I don’t yet see it. I love You more than controlling my future. In Jesus’ name, amen.
