Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart to follow God's leading rather than only your own goals is good, and it is right to bring that desire to the Lord.
The verse you mentioned is often misunderstood. In Proverbs 29:18 the word translated vision does not mean personal dreams or mystical experiences. It means the revealed word and counsel of God. Where there is no prophetic revelation, no word from the Lord to guide and restrain, people cast off restraint and perish. The need is not for a new private vision, but to hear and obey what God has already revealed.
That helps to understand what visions are in Scripture. The book of Revelation is not a sealed or hidden book. The word revelation itself means an unveiling, taking the covering off so something can be seen. Most of what was shown to John came by way of vision, which is insight into the spiritual realm that surrounds us and cannot be seen with natural eyes. That revelation is described as the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show His servants what must take place. It was signified and sent by an angel to John, and at times John was guided by an angel, directed by elders, and spoken to directly by Jesus Christ. That was a specific calling given to John as an apostle to record and to write down the things he had seen, the things that are, and the things that will take place afterward.
God has not promised that same kind of apocalyptic vision to every believer on request. His primary way of giving vision today is through His Word and by His Spirit. His intent and purpose for your life is to conform you to the image of Christ, so that by the Spirit's work you learn to respond as Jesus responds, to love as He loves and to forgive as He forgave. When that work is happening, you are not left to follow only personal goals, because His Word lights the path and His Spirit shapes your desires to match His will.
So pray not mainly for dramatic sights, but for clear understanding of Scripture, for wisdom to apply it, and for a sensitive heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show you from the Bible what is right, to correct and guide you, and to make you more like Jesus in character and choices.
Praying for you now, that the Lord will give you a steady vision of Himself through His Word, that He will make His will plain as you seek Him in Scripture and prayer, that He will guard you from simply pursuing your own plans, and that He will form Christ more fully in you. May He grant you wisdom, restraint, and faithfulness to walk in what He has already revealed, in Jesus' name.
The verse you mentioned is often misunderstood. In Proverbs 29:18 the word translated vision does not mean personal dreams or mystical experiences. It means the revealed word and counsel of God. Where there is no prophetic revelation, no word from the Lord to guide and restrain, people cast off restraint and perish. The need is not for a new private vision, but to hear and obey what God has already revealed.
That helps to understand what visions are in Scripture. The book of Revelation is not a sealed or hidden book. The word revelation itself means an unveiling, taking the covering off so something can be seen. Most of what was shown to John came by way of vision, which is insight into the spiritual realm that surrounds us and cannot be seen with natural eyes. That revelation is described as the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show His servants what must take place. It was signified and sent by an angel to John, and at times John was guided by an angel, directed by elders, and spoken to directly by Jesus Christ. That was a specific calling given to John as an apostle to record and to write down the things he had seen, the things that are, and the things that will take place afterward.
God has not promised that same kind of apocalyptic vision to every believer on request. His primary way of giving vision today is through His Word and by His Spirit. His intent and purpose for your life is to conform you to the image of Christ, so that by the Spirit's work you learn to respond as Jesus responds, to love as He loves and to forgive as He forgave. When that work is happening, you are not left to follow only personal goals, because His Word lights the path and His Spirit shapes your desires to match His will.
So pray not mainly for dramatic sights, but for clear understanding of Scripture, for wisdom to apply it, and for a sensitive heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show you from the Bible what is right, to correct and guide you, and to make you more like Jesus in character and choices.
Praying for you now, that the Lord will give you a steady vision of Himself through His Word, that He will make His will plain as you seek Him in Scripture and prayer, that He will guard you from simply pursuing your own plans, and that He will form Christ more fully in you. May He grant you wisdom, restraint, and faithfulness to walk in what He has already revealed, in Jesus' name.
