Devotionals

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DON'T LET THE VIEW
BLOCK THE VISION

By Chuck Johnson


My family and I live near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, just southwest of Denver. We have been looking for a piece of land to build a home on, and, while the
foothills are nice, we really want a view of the majestic Rocky Mountains. What we have discovered, however, is that the closer you get to the foothills, the harder it is to see the mountains.

In life we often lose sight of the vision because of the view. In Proverbs the 29th chapter and the 18th verse we are told, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Notice it did not say, "Where there is no view..."! Too many times we lose sight of the vision/visions GOD has given us, because all we see is the "view" from where we are.

In Habakkuk 2:2-3 it says, "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Now lets examine this scripture.

First the Lord said, "Write the vision and make it plain." This means it was to be written in such a way as to be easily understood. God is not going to speak in riddles to frustrate you; He wants you to succeed, not give up out of frustration.

Second, when you understand the vision, you are to run after it, to pursue it. You must not let distractions interfere with your pursuit.

Third, "the vision is yet for an appointed time." This means it's completion may be down the road. However, that does not mean, that the journey is not to begin immediately.

Finally, the third verse says, "though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Now this sounds like a contradiction "though it tarries", and "it will not tarry". How do we reconcile these two seemingly contradictory terms? We must understand, that with God a day is but a thousand years, and a thousand years is but a day. God's timetable may be different than the 24 hour day, 365 day year, that we are accustomed to.

The Jewish people had spent over four hundred years enslaved in Egypt, but God had not forgotten them. He had a plan, a vision. He had placed a young Jewish baby, Moses, right in Pharaoh's household. He would be raised and cared for by Pharaoh's family. And then, at the appointed time (God's time), he would lead the chosen people out of bondage and into the promised land.

Notice the promise was two-fold. First, it was to deliver them out of bondage, and second, it was to lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey, the promised land. We know, however, that only Joshua, Caleb and their families actually made it to the promised land. Why? Were not all delivered? Yes! Not one was left behind in Egypt. They even brought out the bones of Joseph, so that they could be buried in the promised land. The problem arose, when they lost the vision. You see, God saw the end of the journey, the fulfilled vision. The recently delivered captives on the other hand only saw the desert, "the view" around them. Therefore, they grumbled against Moses and God, and, as a result, they perished in the wilderness never fulfilling the vision. They let the view kill the vision.

God promises that we will fulfill the vision He has for us, if we faint not. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

Has God given you a vision? If He hasn't, you need to seek and inquire of Him. For it is God Himself that said, "the people perish for lack of a vision", and God does not wish that any perish. If God has given you a vision, a destiny, then don't let the current view kill the future vision. " God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).

Search the heart of God, His Word, and have your vision checked regularly. Don't let the "view" block your "vision"!

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