A Vision does not Necessarily Require Immediate Action.
A lot of people have
good ideas. Many times God may be in the process of birthing a vision in their
hearts. But most of the time, they want to start NOW!
But the story of Nehemiah, along with numerous other Biblical accounts, illustrates the truth that a clear vision does not necessarily indicate a green light to begin. Too often when a person with an idea that seems to be a God ordained vision charges out of the gates too early; the result is failure, discouragement and disillusionment. A vision rarely requires immediate action. But it always requires patience. Many people ask, why wait? After all, there are people to rescue. Why not just plunge ahead?
Because developing and discovering a vision is a process. Sometimes it’s painful and agonizing. But it is always worth every bit of the agony along the way.
Waiting often seems like a waste of time. The assumption is, since we aren’t moving ahead, nothing’s going on.
But the story of Nehemiah, along with numerous other Biblical accounts, illustrates the truth that a clear vision does not necessarily indicate a green light to begin. Too often when a person with an idea that seems to be a God ordained vision charges out of the gates too early; the result is failure, discouragement and disillusionment. A vision rarely requires immediate action. But it always requires patience. Many people ask, why wait? After all, there are people to rescue. Why not just plunge ahead?
Because developing and discovering a vision is a process. Sometimes it’s painful and agonizing. But it is always worth every bit of the agony along the way.
Waiting often seems like a waste of time. The assumption is, since we aren’t moving ahead, nothing’s going on.
God’s spirit moves as it wills and just because you can’t physically
see it, it doesn’t mean his spirit isn’t moving in our midst. The lie of the
enemy is impatience and a belief that we must see a physical manifestation. Now
do physical manifestations happen, yes? In God’s time not ours.
In 2nd Corinthians 5:7 Paul
says, “We live by faith and not by sight.” Faith is something that God raises up in us so
we can trust Him as we walk this journey of faith. We don’t see God yet we
believe he is the creator of the universe. So we must as an individual and
church wait on God believing in faith that what he has laid into our spirits
will be fulfilled.
While not every good idea is vision material, every vision begins as an idea. Not all burdens are vision material, but every vision begins as a burden. Waiting gives us a chance to examine our emotions and sort out minor concerns from major ones. If what concerned you yesterday is of little concern today, odds are that it was not vision material.
Just as you cannot rush the development of a child in the womb, you cannot rush the development of a vision. God determines the schedule for both. Acting too quickly on a vision is like delivering a baby prematurely. They are always weak. And in some cases a preemie cannot survive the rigors of life outside the womb. So it is with vision. Immature visions are weak. They rarely make it in the real world. As we wait, not only does the vision mature, but we also mature and become ready for the vision.
Many times the tendency is to assume that since I know what I am to do, I’m ready to do it. But God has to grow us into our vision. Just as a vision must be God ordained, it must also be done according to God’s timetable.
Philippians 2:13-14 says “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing.”
Everything you do includes waiting. Yet, we often complain about waiting, and argue with God that our timing is better. Have you ever met someone who had a good idea but bad timing?
Remember Moses? He had the right idea, but his timing and methods were terrible. His vision was to free his people from Egyptian slavery. And that was a God thing if there ever was one. So what did he do? He went to work and killed an Egyptian. If Moses had sat down and calculated how long it would take him to kill all of the Egyptians, he would have realized that it would take several lifetimes. So, what did God do? He sent Moses to the University of Sinai to study in their wilderness program for 40 years. It took Moses 40 years to grow into the vision that God has designed for him.
Nehemiah, on the other hand, had it pretty easy by comparison. He only had to wait four months before the wheels started turning. But working for the King of Persia was still somewhat of a desert experience for him. Nehemiah was a man with immense leadership ability who awoke every day to do a job that tapped little or none of those skills.
I know you can you relate? Do you wake up every day to circumstances that seem to have nothing to do with the vision you sense God is developing in you?
Then you are in good company.
Joseph reviewed his vision from an Egyptian dungeon.
Moses spent years following sheep.
David, the teenage king, spent years hiding in caves.
And Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king whose ancestors had destroyed the very city he longed to rebuild. Be encouraged. God has you where He has you for a reason.
Not only does the vision need to mature, and we need to mature to be prepared for the vision, but God is also working behind the scenes to prepare the way. This is why it is so important to wait on his timing.
Remember that the vision God has for our life is only a small piece of the entire puzzle. God’s vision for your life is much bigger than you. Apart from his intervention and preparation, you and I are incapable of pulling off even our small part of the operation.
One of the most difficult things related to vision, is distinguishing between good ideas and God ideas. We all have good ideas. Everybody is concerned or burdened about something, but how do you know which ideas to act on?
While not every good idea is vision material, every vision begins as an idea. Not all burdens are vision material, but every vision begins as a burden. Waiting gives us a chance to examine our emotions and sort out minor concerns from major ones. If what concerned you yesterday is of little concern today, odds are that it was not vision material.
Just as you cannot rush the development of a child in the womb, you cannot rush the development of a vision. God determines the schedule for both. Acting too quickly on a vision is like delivering a baby prematurely. They are always weak. And in some cases a preemie cannot survive the rigors of life outside the womb. So it is with vision. Immature visions are weak. They rarely make it in the real world. As we wait, not only does the vision mature, but we also mature and become ready for the vision.
Many times the tendency is to assume that since I know what I am to do, I’m ready to do it. But God has to grow us into our vision. Just as a vision must be God ordained, it must also be done according to God’s timetable.
Philippians 2:13-14 says “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing.”
Everything you do includes waiting. Yet, we often complain about waiting, and argue with God that our timing is better. Have you ever met someone who had a good idea but bad timing?
Remember Moses? He had the right idea, but his timing and methods were terrible. His vision was to free his people from Egyptian slavery. And that was a God thing if there ever was one. So what did he do? He went to work and killed an Egyptian. If Moses had sat down and calculated how long it would take him to kill all of the Egyptians, he would have realized that it would take several lifetimes. So, what did God do? He sent Moses to the University of Sinai to study in their wilderness program for 40 years. It took Moses 40 years to grow into the vision that God has designed for him.
Nehemiah, on the other hand, had it pretty easy by comparison. He only had to wait four months before the wheels started turning. But working for the King of Persia was still somewhat of a desert experience for him. Nehemiah was a man with immense leadership ability who awoke every day to do a job that tapped little or none of those skills.
I know you can you relate? Do you wake up every day to circumstances that seem to have nothing to do with the vision you sense God is developing in you?
Then you are in good company.
Joseph reviewed his vision from an Egyptian dungeon.
Moses spent years following sheep.
David, the teenage king, spent years hiding in caves.
And Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king whose ancestors had destroyed the very city he longed to rebuild. Be encouraged. God has you where He has you for a reason.
Not only does the vision need to mature, and we need to mature to be prepared for the vision, but God is also working behind the scenes to prepare the way. This is why it is so important to wait on his timing.
Remember that the vision God has for our life is only a small piece of the entire puzzle. God’s vision for your life is much bigger than you. Apart from his intervention and preparation, you and I are incapable of pulling off even our small part of the operation.
One of the most difficult things related to vision, is distinguishing between good ideas and God ideas. We all have good ideas. Everybody is concerned or burdened about something, but how do you know which ideas to act on?
You may have asked
yourself where is this leading up to? We have been praying and seeking God as
to how we can continue to reach our community. As I shared earlier we would
love for you to sign up to pray for needs and for renewed vision for 2014. What’s
our vision for this year?
Serve days: 2nd Harvest, Gospel mission, Teen Challenge, Helping
Families locally, Youth Missions Trip, Adult Missions Trips, Church Care Days,
Community Outreach: Trunk or Treat, Thanksgiving & Christmas families…
Serving the church
family…serving on the worship team, media, hospitality, greeters, children’s
and youth ministries, women’s and men’s ministries.
These things
aren’t just jobs. They are ways to serve your God and to carry out His vision
for this community through this body. I hope and pray you will catch the vision
and be a part of this amazing body of believers.
Finally, one of
the big things we have been praying about is having a second service to reach
more families; Seeking God on having options that meet the needs of those who
call CFW home. But this takes time for all involved to catch the vision. I hope
you’ll catch the vision and say pastor sign me up.
Because all of
this requires you! I pray you will take
the time to seek God during our week of prayer and then plug in were God wants
you. Let’s pray…
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