John Sweetman

Last week I described how the emphasis on vision has waxed and waned in the thinking of evangelicals. When it comes to vision the first question to ask is, "Does the Bible suggest that vision is important."

The Bible verse most used to justify the importance of vision is Prov. 29:18: "Where there is no vision the people perish." Many people translate this roughly as: "If you're aiming for nothing, you're sure to hit it."  But in this context the word "vision" really means a revelation from God. So a better translation is: "Where there is no truth revealed by God, people completely mess up their lives." The Western world exemplifies this proverb. It has little to do with having a personal vision.

But it does seem apparent from Scripture that when God raised up leaders, he almost always called them to pursue a God-given vision. From Abraham through to Paul, biblical leaders were committed to pursuing God's vision. Here are some examples that have been carefully recorded in Scripture:

• ABRAHAM: Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. (Gen 12:1-2)

• JOSHUA: Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. (Josh 1:6)
• AMOS: I was neither a prophet or a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel." Now then, hear the word of the Lord. (Amos 7:14-16)
• JEREMIAH: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations… See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." (Jer 1:5, 10)
• DAVID: The Lord said to Samuel, "I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king… Rise and anoint him [David]; he is the one." So Samuel anointed him, and from that day on the Spirit came upon David in power. (1 Sam 16:1, 12-13)
• JESUS: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matt 20:28)
• PAUL: And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth I am not lying) and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. (1 Tim 2:7)

Now of course these visions were nation-changing, even world-changing, calls from God. While the vision God gives us may not be as earth-shattering, it does seem that the idea of having a God-given vision to pursue is biblical. Vision is important.