Challenging Vision!

Like I said, that has been over ten years ago. I never imagined then how hard the journey would be. I did not understand how difficult it would be to bring that vision to reality. I certainly underestimated the various forces that would oppose that vision.

First, I want to say that many of the ideas I had at the outset are now in place. Several of the brainstorms from those early years are now a reality. What I am going to describe in a minute is NOT intended to imply that we have not been successful in some areas or that we are giving up on chasing this vision as far as we can.

In fact, when I stop and really look around at all our team has accomplished in the past ten years, I am sometimes amazed. Sure, I envisioned more progress – that is what makes me tick. At the same time, we have come a long way.

Not Enough Progress!

The problem is that too often I look back to the vision I have had since the beginning and it seems like we are never going to fully realize it. It seems we are light years away from that picture and we seem like we are not moving forward at all.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you had a vision of what should be and felt your current position was too far away to ever reach it?

When I let it, this thought process really gets me down. I begin to lose hope, thinking that the progress we have made is not enough. I begin to think that I am the problem and that maybe someone else could have reached the “destination” by now.

What To Do?

While I know this is not productive thinking, it is real. This thinking comes on me a times when I least expect it and it paralyzes me. Until I can shake off the fog of this line of thinking, I am out of commission and no good for anyone!

So what are we supposed to do when this thinking comes on us? How are we to respond once it happens? How might we even prevent it in the first place?

King David’s Vision

Well, I think the following example from Scripture (2 Samuel 7:1-29) can be a huge help to us. I want to take a snapshot out of the life of King David, a man after God’s own heart. I think you will see that we can learn a lot from David’s actions that can be directly applied to our problem thinking!

After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
2 Samuel 7:1-2

In this snapshot, King David realized that he was living in luxury while the ark of God remained in a tent. He determined that he was going to build a great temple for God – one that would be worthy of His glory! Nathan, the prophet, initially agreed with David.

Vision Interrupted

Then God made it clear to Nathan that David was NOT to build the temple. For various reasons, God had reserved that task for David’s son Solomon. God told Nathan to relay this message to David.

As we read further, we see that David was certainly instrumental in gathering the materials that would be used to build the temple. We also see that David was still used by God after this scene, but not to build the temple. It was in fact built by Solomon.

What Should We Learn?

So, what can we learn from this passage? I actually think we can learn three lessons from this story. I will review the first in this post and the other two in my next posts. Hopefully, you will see how this passage can help us to respond to the problem-thinking we discussed earlier.

The first lesson we can learn is that sometimes God is going to use us in ways we anticipate and other times He is going to use someone else. We may sow the seeds today and someone else may be slated to reap the harvest. That is simply the way God works in His sovereignty.

In this case, David wanted to be the one used to build a temple for God. He wanted to complete the vision in his mind of the temple. Unfortunately, that was not a task God planned for him.

God still used David. Stories of his conquests continued on after this scene. Even though he was not the one to build the temple, David was given an incredible heritage because of his obedience to God. David may have wanted to build the temple, but he certainly cannot accuse God of leaving him out of His story!

Our Application

We are the same way. Maybe I will be the one to complete the vision He gave me. Maybe it will be someone after me. Maybe I am gathering the materials and they will be the ones to build. Who knows? It is not my place to worry about it!

Instead, I must trust in God. I must trust that His plan is THE best plan and be willing to obey it. If I let the disappointment of today distract me from my work, then I am missing the fulfillment that comes from playing the role He has for me. Regardless of anything I may think (at times) to the contrary, that is a pretty cool role!

Has God changed your vision like this?

What was your reaction?

Has He proven faithful?

Photo by ESB Essentials/Shutterstock