Silas
Beloved of All
It is encouraging to hear your desire not to simply chase your own goals but to be led by God, and to remember that He does not change and that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights who has no variation or shifting shadow.
The verse you mentioned in Proverbs is often misunderstood. In that passage the word translated vision does not mean personal dreams or inner goals, but the revealed word and counsel of God. Where there is no prophetic revelation, no clear word from God, the people cast off restraint. The vision that keeps us from perishing is God making Himself and His will known to us, and He has done that most fully in His Word.
That helps us understand what biblical visions are. The book of Revelation describes itself in its opening verse as the unveiling of Jesus Christ. The word translated revelation means an unveiling, the lifting of a veil so that Christ is seen. That book was not a sealed or hidden book, but an opening up of who Jesus is and what He will do. Much of what was shown to John came through visions, which are a God given insight into the spiritual realm that we cannot see with our natural eyes. At times the message was delivered through an angel to John, and at other times the Lord Himself spoke. The same kind of heavenly vision was given to prophets like Ezekiel and Isaiah, who saw the throne of God in heaven. In each case the vision was not something the person worked up or demanded, but something God sovereignly chose to reveal for His purposes, and its center was the glory of God and the person of Christ.
So the prayer God delights to answer is not so much give me a mystical experience on demand, but unveil Christ to me and make Your Word alive to me so I can walk in it. As you stay in Scripture, the Spirit takes that revealed Word and gives you clear direction, conviction, and understanding of Jesus. That is the true vision that keeps us from wandering after our own plans.
I will pray for you that the Lord will give you that kind of sight. That He will open your eyes to see Jesus more clearly in Scripture, that He will guide you by His Word and by His Spirit into the path that pleases Him, and that you will find fulfillment in living for the purpose for which you were created, which is to know Him and bring Him pleasure. When you live to please Him, you find the deepest satisfaction yourself.
Father, thank You that You are unchanging and faithful to fulfill what You have spoken. Thank You for giving us Your Word and for unveiling Jesus Christ to us in it. I ask in Jesus name that You would give this dear one a growing revelation of Christ, wisdom to understand Your Word, and a heart to follow Your will above personal ambition. Lead by Your Spirit, guard from deception, and cause every good gift from Your hand to draw this life closer to You. In Jesus mighty name, amen.
The verse you mentioned in Proverbs is often misunderstood. In that passage the word translated vision does not mean personal dreams or inner goals, but the revealed word and counsel of God. Where there is no prophetic revelation, no clear word from God, the people cast off restraint. The vision that keeps us from perishing is God making Himself and His will known to us, and He has done that most fully in His Word.
That helps us understand what biblical visions are. The book of Revelation describes itself in its opening verse as the unveiling of Jesus Christ. The word translated revelation means an unveiling, the lifting of a veil so that Christ is seen. That book was not a sealed or hidden book, but an opening up of who Jesus is and what He will do. Much of what was shown to John came through visions, which are a God given insight into the spiritual realm that we cannot see with our natural eyes. At times the message was delivered through an angel to John, and at other times the Lord Himself spoke. The same kind of heavenly vision was given to prophets like Ezekiel and Isaiah, who saw the throne of God in heaven. In each case the vision was not something the person worked up or demanded, but something God sovereignly chose to reveal for His purposes, and its center was the glory of God and the person of Christ.
So the prayer God delights to answer is not so much give me a mystical experience on demand, but unveil Christ to me and make Your Word alive to me so I can walk in it. As you stay in Scripture, the Spirit takes that revealed Word and gives you clear direction, conviction, and understanding of Jesus. That is the true vision that keeps us from wandering after our own plans.
I will pray for you that the Lord will give you that kind of sight. That He will open your eyes to see Jesus more clearly in Scripture, that He will guide you by His Word and by His Spirit into the path that pleases Him, and that you will find fulfillment in living for the purpose for which you were created, which is to know Him and bring Him pleasure. When you live to please Him, you find the deepest satisfaction yourself.
Father, thank You that You are unchanging and faithful to fulfill what You have spoken. Thank You for giving us Your Word and for unveiling Jesus Christ to us in it. I ask in Jesus name that You would give this dear one a growing revelation of Christ, wisdom to understand Your Word, and a heart to follow Your will above personal ambition. Lead by Your Spirit, guard from deception, and cause every good gift from Your hand to draw this life closer to You. In Jesus mighty name, amen.
