“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18
Having a God-given vision for your life is critical. Vision is a powerful asset that we must learn how to tap into and deploy. God has a specific vision for your life. It’s a vision that God designed in eternity and birthed with your entry into the physical realm. It’s a powerful vision, one God is committed to achieving through you.
A vision board is a physical collection of items such as pictures, magazine clippings, words and quotes that visually affirm your goals and dreams. Vision is defined as “the faculty or state of being able to see, ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom, and the act or power of seeing.”
A vision is a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation. Visions are known to emerge from spiritual traditions and could provide a lens into human nature and reality. Prophecy is often associated with visions. Vision establishes godly priorities and breaks the spirit of lack. Vision is prophetic and boldly declares God’s will. Vision relies on God.
The Pulpit Commentary provides an awesome illumination on Proverbs 29:18. It states: “Where there is no vision, the people perish; rather, cast off restraint, become ungovernable, and cannot be reined in. ‘Vision’ (chazon), prophecy in its widest sense, denotes the revelation of God’s will made through agents, which directed the course of events, and was intended to be coordinated with the supreme secular authority.”
The Pulpit Commentary goes on to say: “The prophets were the instructors of the people in Divine things, standing witnesses of the truth and power of religion, teaching a higher than mere human morality. The fatal effect of the absence of such revelation of God’s will is stated to be confusion, disorder, and rebellion; the people, uncontrolled, fall into grievous excesses, which nothing but high principles can restrain.”
There are two points I want to leave you with as it relates to the power of vision and an excellent way to answer the question: “What’s On Your Vision Board?” These two points are revelation and restraint.
First, let’s explore revelation. The revelation (vision) in mind here is not the spontaneous word from a purported prophet. It is God’s great revelation, God’s revealed word through God’s Hebrew prophets and later the apostles and prophets who gave us the New Testament. No vision equals no instruction in God’s truths, which was by the prophets, through visions.
Finally, it should be easier to see why no vision leads to no restraint, our second point of exploration. When God’s word is unavailable or rejected, the people (we) cast off restraint. We no longer have a standard greater than our own feelings or current opinions. In essence, the people (we) are deprived of moral restraints. And when we are deprived of moral restraints or have no vision for our lives beyond mere existence or depravity, we have the tendency to move aimlessly and ultimately, we run amok.
So, what’s on your vision board? What revelations have you received from God concerning your life and how to live up to your fullest God-given potential? What dreams (visions) are you deferring, waiting for the right moment to happen or all the proverbial stars to line up? God is speaking right now. The question is are you listening? And if so, what’s on your vision board?
Dr. Preston T. Adams III is senior pastor at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Indianapolis. Contact Pastor Adams via email at drpta3@agccindy.org or via Twitter @DrPrestonTAdams. For more information, visit agccindy.org.
