A few days ago, I was reading up on the new demerit system our Department of Transport is planning to implement, later this year, for all licensed drivers around South Africa. Whilst reading this long, 10 page document I happened across a little fact. It said that the “pass rate” in the eye test for the issue and re-issue of drivers’ licenses is 50%. So, essentially, that means that you can be half blind and still drive a car. Doesn’t make sense, does it? Having 50% vision in your eyes is dangerous for yourself outside of a car. The same vision whilst driving would be fatal for so many.
While I was driving home, it suddenly dawned on me how many Christians in this world have the same problem. We go through life half focussed on what God has called us to. Most of us, don’t even know what God has called us to. We go to Church, shout an amen when the pastor shares Matthew 28:18-20, but have no vision ourselves to get out there and make disciples of all nations. I’ve since wondered how many local Churches actually start a new year or month with a vision for that period. I can’t make that judgement but the evidence of it is in the small amount of testimonies we hear of local Churches making massive impacts in their communities.
So where am I going with this? I made reference to blurry vision in the title but I’ve only spoken about lack of vision.
Proverbs 29:18 (The Amplified)
Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.
Too often we look at our year from the start and think, “I’m gonna lose a few kilos” or “I’m gonna run the Comrades Marathon or swim the Midmar Mile” or “I’m going to get a new job”. Not many of us, as Christians, start the year praying into what God is wanting to lead us into or use us for. Too often we look at temporal matters. The matters of the physical and the material. Our vision stops at us and we become shortsighted. We make decisions based on what we feel now, or what happened to us last week. The moment we look up and ahead for that brief moment, we see nothing but a blur, because we don’t know where we’re going or what we’re walking into or, even, where we’d like to go. For me, I may as well not have any sight of where I am because it’s just as bad as not being able to see where I’m going.
God has a specific anointing over each one of us. He has a plan for all of us. If He didn’t, why did He redeem us? Why did Jesus give us the mandate to go and make disciples of all nations? Why did He give every person a specific gifting? It’s for us to ask God for His vision for us personally. Walking in that vision and in that anointing, makes us a people who make decisions now based on what we’re called to do. We can not afford to wander around aimlessly and visionless, because we are bound to trip and fall, and we may take other people with us. As the above Scripture says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” and a visionless Christian will pass through a perishing village, city or nation, without action because he has not set his sights on the purpose of God for his life, to be a witness to all people of God’s redemptive work.
So how do we sharpen our vision?
1) Pray
Our relationship with God is the secret to hearing God. Hearing God will give you insight into where He wants you, what He wants you to do and what He wants you to say. Whenever Jesus found solitude from the crowd that followed Him, He prayed. He spoke to His Father. Even a man, who was in perfect fellowship with God, saw the need to talk to His Father and hear His voice, because He knew there was a job to be done. He knew God had Great Purpose for His life (and death). So, in praying we clean our lenses, we ask God to clear our vision for the sake of the Kingdom. Even the apostles had vision and that was to be “witnesses in all Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the Earth.” They ran with that vision and they ran well. If they hadn’t have, I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog right now.
2) Greater Revelation of His Love and Grace
Proverbs 29:18 suggests that without the redemptive revelation of God the people perish. We need to be asking God for a much deeper vision and insight into His love and grace. We need to be able to see a crucified, buried and risen Jesus and know with great depth what that means for humanity. The apostles had that revelation because they saw it. God will give you the revelation you need, if you ask for it and search it out. Having that depth of revelation will stir your heart and sharpen your vision, focussing on God’s great Purpose for you and aligning it to the Gospel. God’s purpose for you will never be outside of the plan to redeem His people to Himself. Make sure your vision is centred around the Gospel and story of God’s Grace - Jesus.
Christian, my encouragement to you is this: The time of having blurry vision is over. The time to find direction and clarity is now. Don’t be the Christian who wanders aimlessly and visionless through a perishing world, but be the Christian who wanders through the streets of your city/nation and foreign nations with purpose and clarity of vision. Be the Christian who knows what, and where, God is calling you to. Be the Christian, who through that vision, declares the redemptive work of Jesus and disciples nations in whatever way God has gifted you. And pray, for you and for the Church, that Jesus’ vision for us might be made clear, that we might see a perishing world radically redeemed and set on fire for our Glorious King.
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