without vision

Without Vision

We’re in the middle of a series on Vision at the moment.  I believe the purpose of conversation is the connection of many people in one theme, so it’s worth speaking about as much as we can.  Vision is often referred to as the “ideal destination” and is used to harness focus and energy toward a common goal. 

As I spoke this past week, (message 2), a key observation we can make from the life of Abraham is that his focus was not on the things of this earth, but instead a heavenly city that has foundations established by God.  (See Hebrews 11:10). What we can learn from Abraham is that our vision is not so much about where we are going, but our partnership with God as we travel. 

his focus was not on the things of this earth

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is one who keeps the Law.”  In the context of leadership, the consequence of being unrestrained is often defined as the risk of wandering aimlessly, purposeless with no distinct destination.  Let’s unpack this a little as it may help us as we seek to walk forward together. 

the consequence of being unrestrained is often defined as the risk of wandering aimlessly

Looking across several translations we see the word vision actually refers to a “divine message.”  This includes a God-inspired dream, a revelation or a prophecy.  The point is, the biblical instruction in this verse is not referring to a man-made idea or strategy, but a direct download sent by God and received by man.  This means lack of vision is lack of God’s revelation.  (This could mean ‘not yet revealed’, or it could mean ‘not yet received.’) 

As ZION church leadership, we seek God’s fresh revelation.  We covet the word of the Lord and consult the Word of the Lord for clarification and integrity.  Through this process we invite God’s leadership of our church – in fact, we depend on it.  As Moses exclaimed, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15). In this, the Hebrew people referred to the Presence of the Lord as the Person of God in their midst. 

Clearly, we are designed as people of God to depend on His leadership.  Are you seeking God’s personal leadership in your life, family, business?   

The second half of this proverb is unreserved in outlining the consequence of a vision-void; people perish, casting off restraint, they run wild, and become a laughingstock.  The Bible shows us the way of an unrestrained man leads to death, meaning eternal separation from God. 

The Bible shows us the way of an unrestrained man leads to death

This would say to me that our holding on to a fresh revelation from God for our lives is vital to our eternal, personal relationship with Him.   

I encourage you to connect with the revelation of God through shared connection… and I know this will be a part of the final message in our series on Vision 2023+.  Watch the ZION Youtube channel for that to drop soon.