I think most of us would really like to see visions. Especially those where it’s so real, you can’t tell whether you’re in the body, or out of the body… like Paul. (1 Corinthians 12:2-3) And you see indescribable things in the heavenly realm. I haven’t seen that yet, but I do expect to. After all, much of the revelation and instruction given by God to the holy men of old, came by visions. God still has lots to reveal, and He’s no respecter of persons.
And of course we all need a vision. A view of something out ahead of us, a goal that we can fix our eyes on. Something to inspire and motivate us. Men can achieve great things in this life by establishing a vision, and pursuing it faithfully. Yet, in the scope of eternity, if that vision does not agree with God’s vision, it’s an illusion, and it’s going to end in extreme disappointment. Align your vision with God’s vision, and you WILL be a winner. There is no better way to be guaranteed success, and eternal rewards, than making God’s vision, your vision.
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” [Psalm 37:5 KJV]
“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” [1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV]
Those two types of ‘visions’ are fairly well understood. But there is something else that goes beyond visions, or a vision. It’s spiritual vision… where we can ‘see’ what God is doing. This vision is a spiritual sense (like seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting) that is developed and matured, by practice and use. It’s a kind of vision that can be experienced in degrees. It can function a little, once in a while; or it can be fully functioning… all the time.
That’s the kind of vision that Jesus was talking about in John 5:19, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” This is vision in real time… present tense. (Not ‘saw’ the Father do.) Jesus was not getting ‘visions’ to direct Him in what to do. He was ‘seeing’ the Father doing.
THAT is the vision we’re called to grow into! You can get lots of amazing ‘visions’, and still be blind to what the Father is doing. You can have a grand vision for the future, yet not see what God is doing now… today. Intermittent, momentary visions, or words from the Lord, are great; but no comparison to seeing continually, without interruption, what the Father IS doing.
I am just beginning to understand how critically important this vision is. It really encompasses all the spiritual senses. If you can see what the Father is doing, it’s easy to know what to do, and how to do it. If you can hear what the Spirit of God is praying, and hear His intercession; then it’s easy to join in with Him, and pray powerful, world-changing prayers. If you can see the expression on Jesus’ face, and the look in His eyes, then it becomes very clear what He is passionate about; and what pleases Him, and what doesn’t.
So how do we acquire, or develop, this kind of spiritual vision? There are lots of things we can receive from the Lord, and lots of different ways to receive them. Some are gifts, and you just receive them. Some are rewards or wages, and you earn them. Some are inherited just because you’re His sons and daughters.
This kind of vision is developed. It takes effort and experience. Yes… God made the hearing ear, and the seeing eye. But it’s our choice whether to open them and train them; or close them, and go to sleep. (See Proverbs 20:12-13) It’s not just on or off… open or closed. In between there are degrees of dim and clear, dull and sharp, week and strong. What we operate in is determined by effort, exercise, diligence, and time. How much time depends a lot on the intensity and faithfulness of the exercise.
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” [Hebrews 5:14 KJV] Your physical senses can discern good and bad in the physical world. It takes spiritual senses to discern good and evil in the spiritual realm.
With a little bit of experience, you can observe some activity, and tell whether it’s good, or evil. That’s the basics. At full maturity… full development… all your spiritual senses are discerning all the good and all the evil, in real time. You will be seeing what the Father IS doing. Also, what the devil is doing.
I feel like I’m just getting a foggy little glimpse of that kind of vision. Maybe like seeing men as ‘trees walking’. But that glimpse is becoming a vision of the future for me. That vision is firing me up to pay the price, apply the diligence, and exercise my senses, to develop to full maturity, in me, that vision that Jesus walked in.
I believe that’s God’s vision for us, His church, His children. He wants us to be one with Him, and to see and be a part of everything He’s doing. How about we go for it! Amen?!!
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