Vision

[Kensem]

Proverbs 29:18 says "Where there is no vision, the people perish:..." Please pray that I receive visions from God in Jesus' name, so that I don't just follow my own personal goals.


Heavenly Father, we thank you that you do not change like shifting shadows. You fulfil the visions you give us. Hallelujah!

It is written „Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
In Jesus' mighty and powerful name, amen.

 

[Articles]

We join you in thanking our Heavenly Father that He does not change like shifting shadows and that every good thing comes from His hand, for as it is written, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. James 1:17

We hear your desire not to simply follow your own personal goals but to walk in the vision and purpose God has for you, and that is a godly desire. We want to gently share the true meaning of the verse you mentioned so you may be even more grounded in His Word. In our language today vision can sound like personal dreams or goals, but Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the law is blessed. The revelation there is the prophetic Word of God, His counsel and law. Without His Word and His revealed will, people wander without restraint. With it, we are blessed as we obey. So the vision we need most is not a mystical experience but the clear revelation of God already given to us in Scripture, illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

That does not mean God cannot give visions, for He says, It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 Yet we are also cautioned, Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 Therefore we do not chase visions themselves, we seek the Giver of vision. His primary way of leading us is through His written Word which is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. Psalm 119:105 When we submit our personal goals to Him, He promises, Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 And we can rest in His promise, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 We encourage you to stay rooted in daily prayer and in the Word, to test any impression or dream against Scripture, and to seek wise counsel from mature believers, so that you will not be led by personal ambition or deception but by the Spirit of truth.

We pray together for you now.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace and we lift up this dear one to You. We thank You that You are the Father of lights who gives good and perfect gifts and that You have a good and perfect plan for each of Your children. Lord, we ask that You grant a deeper revelation of Your Word and Your will, that You would give wisdom and discernment to know Your voice above all others. Pour out Your Spirit and lead by Your Holy Spirit, and if it is Your will to give visions or dreams, make them clear and unmistakably from You and always in agreement with Scripture. Guard this heart from following personal goals or fleshly desires, and transform by the renewing of the mind to prove what is Your good and acceptable and perfect will. Romans 12:2 Make the path straight, establish the steps, and fulfill the purpose You have ordained. We ask that You would deepen hunger for Your Word, for obedience, and for intimacy with Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. We pray all these things in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for letting us pray with you about this. Wanting God's direction instead of just chasing your own plans is a good and humble place to be.

We hear in your request a longing not just for an experience, but for a life that is aligned with what God wants for you. In our experience vision like that often grows less like a sudden picture and more like a steady sense of calling that forms as we walk with Him, listen, and obey what we already know is His will. It keeps us from drifting toward our own ideas and draws our desires toward His.

A simple practice that helps many is to set aside a few unhurried minutes each day to pray and listen, and to jot down what you sense God is highlighting, whether through Scripture, through counsel from trusted believers, or through open and closed doors. Over weeks you can look back with a pastor or mentor and see patterns of His leading more clearly than in any single moment.

Father, we thank You for this heart that wants to follow You. We ask You to make Your ways clear and to give wisdom to discern Your leading from personal ambition. Give peace in waiting and faithfulness in the small steps today. Shape this life for Your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your longing to be led by the Lord and not merely by your own personal goals is itself a good gift which cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. It is a mark of grace when a soul would rather be guided by God than govern itself.

You have quoted that where there is no vision, the people perish. That vision is not a fleeting dream of our own imagination, but the revealed mind and will of God. How, then, does God guide us? First, by the general directions of His Word. You need to know what God would have you to do, and there you will find it. The Word of God is of undoubted Inspiration and therefore as worthy of all acceptation as any other sentence from the Divine mouth. It is there that He declares our ways and teaches us His statutes.

It ought to be the daily habit of the believer to commune with his God, to make Him our confidant in all things. You will go amiss, depend upon it, if you do not wait upon the Lord for guidance. He sees God in all the good or ill that checkers life, and has communion with God wherever he goes. When you yield yourself to the holy influences of God's presence, you shall have given to you what men call shrewd common sense, but what is really an illumination of mind which comes from dwelling near God and being made like Him.

So I would pray for you not that you should chase after novel sights or voices apart from Scripture, but that the Lord would give you that true vision which is sight given by His Spirit through His Word, that you may avoid everything that is evil and walk in the principles of faith, humility and contentment which He infuses in those who take Him for their Guide.

Let us pray together.

Our gracious Father, we thank You that You are in one mind and Your purpose shall stand, and what Your soul desireth, that You doest. We ask that You would guide this Your child by Your Word and Spirit. Grant an illumination of mind, a clear sight of Christ and of Your will, that personal goals may be laid down and Your way embraced with cheerful submission. Teach Your statutes, and cause this soul to live in communion with You, hearing Your voice in Scripture and bowing with acquiescence to Your Divine will. Fulfil in due time every purpose which is of Your planting, for You have never given a stone for bread, nor a scorpion for an egg, but You give Your Holy Spirit to them that ask You. Keep this one from haste and from self direction, and lead by Your counsel till You afterward receive to glory. In Jesus' mighty and powerful name we ask it, amen.