Day 13: Watching for the Vision
Bible passage: Habakkuk 2:1–4; Proverbs 29:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3
Something to Aim For
Today is Monday 13th of January 2020. Welcome to Day 13 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Last week we asked God to direct our steps. Today we ask for vision.
Proverbs tells us what happens when it is missing. When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild (Proverbs 29:18). An older translation says that where there is no vision, the people perish. Without a word from God to aim at, even gifted and well-trained people run in circles.
On the Watchtower
A Prophet with Questions
Habakkuk lived in dark days. He looked at the violence and injustice around him and asked God how long it would go on (Habakkuk 1:2). God’s first answer troubled him even more.
What he did next is a lesson for us. He did not walk away. He said that he would climb up to his watchtower, stand at his guard post and wait to see what the Lord would say (Habakkuk 2:1).
Three Things He Did
He went up. He deliberately took himself to a place where he could look out. Vision needs a vantage point, away from the noise.
He waited. He did not demand an answer on his own timetable. He stationed himself and stayed.
He expected. He was sure that God would speak. He watched to see what God would say, not whether He would say anything.
Write It Down
God did answer. He told Habakkuk to write the vision plainly on tablets, so that a runner could carry the message to others (Habakkuk 2:2). What God shows us needs to be written down. Writing makes it clear, helps us to remember it and makes it something we can pass on.
Wait for It
Then God added a promise for everyone who has had to wait. “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)
In the meantime, He said, the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God (Habakkuk 2:4). Between the promise and its fulfilment, we live by faith.
God’s Vision for You
It Starts with Who You Are
Vision is more than what we will do. It begins with who we are becoming. Paul says plainly that God’s will is for us to be holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Whatever else God has in mind for you, it includes this.
And our own vision only makes sense inside His. We find our story in the pages of God’s story. We are part of what He is doing in the world.
Three Steps for Today
Climb up. Find a quiet place today and ask, “Lord, what are You saying to me about this year?”
Write it down. Put on paper whatever you sense God is showing you. Test it against Scripture and share it with a mature Christian.
Wait in faith. If you are waiting for something God promised long ago, read Habakkuk 2:3 aloud and choose to keep trusting.
Prayer for Today:
Lord, I take my place on the watchtower today. I want to hear what You will say to me. Give me vision for my life, my family and our church. Make me holy, as You are holy. Help me to write down what You show me and to wait patiently for it. Until it comes, I will live by faith in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep going
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