|
We've entered a new year in
a time frame that only very few in human history have had the opportunity to experience.
A few years ago we crossed the second millennium time barrier, and it was the
first occasion in which a person could spend the entire day watching people
from all over the globe celebrate the entrance into a new era. But there's one
great question facing each of us this new year - What's your vision? What's
your vision for your life, your family, your community, your nation, and your world?
"Without
vision" the Bible says, "people perish." Not only is that true,
but also churches, ministries, and organizations die without vision. It's not
only important to be a people of vision, but also a people with God's vision.
We need to have a Biblical vision - the kind that is birthed in our hearts by
God.
Isaiah was a man with a vision.
The Bible gives a clear description of his vision in Isaiah chapter six. His
vision was threefold. He had an upward vision, an inward vision, and an outward
vision. I'm convinced that the kind of vision that Isaiah had is the kind of
vision that we desperately need at the beginning of this new year.
The Bible says, "In
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and
exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1 NIV). In
Isaiah's upward vision, he "saw the Lord." That's the greatest vision
that we need in this incredible moment of history. We need a fresh glimpse of
God. We need to see Him in His character and attributes. More than we need
bigger buildings and strategic programs, we need a fresh view of God. Our
passion must be to know Him - to walk with Him and behold Him in all of His glory.
Isaiah saw God in His
authority and power as he saw Him on His throne. The throne of God represents
the ultimate place of power and authority in the universe. We desperately need
to understand that God is still on His throne. He's not vacated it. He holds
all power and authority.
But Isaiah also saw God
in His holiness. The Scriptures say that the angels cried out, "Holy,
holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory"
(Is. 6:3 NIV). Every great man and woman of God throughout the ages has somehow
gotten to know God in His holiness. It was no different with Isaiah, and it's
no different with you and me. When Isaiah saw God in His absolute purity, then
he saw himself in the light of God's holiness and was a broken man. The more we
see Him, the more we understand how unlike Him we really are. Such a vision
produced deep brokenness and honest confession. A broken heart and contrite spirit will not be despised by God. He's looking for such hearts.
The final part of
Isaiah's vision was one of the world around him. Once he saw God and saw
himself, then he saw a needy and hurting world. His heart broke. He heard the
voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us" (v.
8). And Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me!" (v. 8 NIV).
When we see what Isaiah
saw, we will understand that there's a world out there in desperate need of
Jesus. We, too, will hear the voice of God calling us to reach that world.
What's your vision?
|
