Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write the vision And engrave it plainly on [clay] tablets So that the one who reads it will run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, Because it will certainly come; it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:2-3

Some of us wander from one thing to another our whole lives. We’re capable of so much more, but we have never clarified our purpose in life. An out-of-focus purpose can’t inspire us, but a crystal-clear lens on God’s purpose for us rivets our attention and gives us energy to keep going until we reach our goals. While the prophet Habakkuk was in prayer, God told him to write down the vision He was giving him. In that day, scribes used a stylus to etch words into blocks of clay. It took work, so they thought carefully about what they wanted to write in order to avoid wasting time and tablets.

We need to write our vision down in clear, compelling language so that it grips our hearts. A clearly written vision statement frees us from confusion so we can “run” instead of wander, stumble, or go backwards. A clear vision overcomes and produces the inspiration to run toward our goals.

But the fulfillment of our vision, God tells the prophet, is in His timing, not ours. Seldom does anyone move in a straight line from the conception of a dream to its fulfillment. Far more often, we experience ups and downs, delays, and disappointments. These, though, won’t stop us if we keep our eyes on our purpose and on the One who has given it to us.

“We grow by dreams. All big men are big dreamers. Some of us let dreams die, but others nourish and protect them, nurse them through bad days…..to the sunshine and light which always come..” Woodrow Wilson

There has been much talk and work over the last several years to develop vision statements as a method to define the purpose of the church. The same is true in the corporate world and individuals are encouraged to do the same. But what happens to all of it when all is said and done is quite a different matter. It is good to have goals and make plans but unless we put energy toward making them become a reality they become nothing more that daydreams. I’m sure with little effort we can all daydream. We can imagine great things happening and how wonderful life would be if all those dreams came true.

In our text, Habakkuk gives us the way visions are received and the importance of writing them down. We read first of all that Habakkuk has been seeking God in prayer so that he might know God’s plans and desires for that time and place. God always has a purpose and a plan to bring that purpose to pass. God is such a God of order that He does nothing on the spur of the moment. He doesn’t “fly by the seat of his pants” inventing and creating as He goes along. God is never reactive. He is always proactive, planning the further in the past. And we know that every purpose God has comes to fulfillment. Since we have limited knowledge and information and no way to accurately forecast the future, perhaps it might be well to consult the One who knows all and sees all. And this is what we find Habakkuk doing. Habakkuk lived in a time of great calamity in Israel. The kingdom of David and Solomon and all its glory was now only a dim memory. For years the Israelites had waffled between serving God and worshipping false gods. There were moments of return but they didn’t seem to last and each time they drifted away from God they went farther. It was at this time that the Chaldeans were rising in power and were moving to conquer the world. It was a time of great uncertainty with the situation changing almost daily. We might say it was a time as the one we are in right now. Because of the uncertainty and the news of the day, Habakkuk went to the source of all knowledge and wisdom, the Lord. As he is seeking help from the Lord, he asks the question: “God, will these people keep having their way? Will they keep on destroying the nations?” And the unasked question was, “What will happen to us?” Are these not our questions today? So God answers and the first thing He says is to write down the vision. In other words, God says, “Write down what I’m going to tell you and show you now.”

The importance of putting it into writing is because most of us easily forget what God has spoken in the midst of adversity. Remember the children of Israel on their journey through the wilderness? How often they forgot the vision and lost their purpose. This is us. How easy it is to forget our purpose and to neglect following through with the vision that God has given us. We usually start well and somewhere along the way fatigue and frustration and impatience kills the inspiration for the vision. The difference between vision and dream is effort and work. Anybody can dream but visionaries apply effort and work toward the dream.

If you’re like me, sometimes life is filled with so many things to do that many are forgotten and not done. Often we find ourselves reacting rather than being proactive. Most of the time it’s due to lack of vision so we just wander from thing to thing without completing anything. Sometimes we become frustrated with the amount of effort without any visible results so we give up. This is why when God speaks something to us we ought to write it down and that written vision ought to direct our decisions and every decision ought to contribute toward bringing us nearer to the vision.

Many people and churches have no vision. They just simply go through life , wandering from place to place, reacting to the immediate environment with out any plans or clear purpose. Oh, to be sure they have some vague dream of what they would like to see but it is nothing more than a wish for there is no strategy to bring it to fruition. I think almost every church I’ve been part of had a goal of growing. I don’t recall any church that said we are happy to not grow or to decline. But when you ask them what is their vision and strategy for growth, most of the time it’s some vague, general thing without substance. I think the reason it is this way is that often we have failed to seek God for a specific vision for us and for this time and season. So we dream and we wait for some miraculous happening that will bring that dream to pass.

God, in His plan of redemption, had a vision of bringing His people back to Him. Even before He created Adam and Eve, He was aware that redemption was going to be necessary. God also knew that to bring the vision about was going to require great labor and sacrifice, but because of the importance of the vision, He was willing to pay the price. The Bible says that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. God didn’t just come up with a reactive plan after Adam and Eve sinned. His plan was already in place for He had anticipated their fall and had already created a solution. That solution didn’t happen immediately and it’s wasn’t a straight line from the obvious need to the solution. We read that God worked through people such as Abraham and Moses moving His people toward Him. We find that not only did God have a plan, He also had an allotted time. Scripture says that in the fullness of time God sent His Son.

So let’s sum up. We receive the vision from God. We are to write it down and frequently read it. It is to be plain, easy to read and has no elements of confusion or vagueness. It is a specific plan for a specific people at a specific time. We rehearse the vision over and over and it directs our decisions and course of action. We work toward it but we also recognize that there is a timing that is set by God. Even when it tarries, we keep pressing toward it. Like the football player, even when we are tackled and down on the ground, our eye is on the goal. When we must wait we do so expectantly and faithfully, resting in the promises of God. We know it will come for faithful is He who promised.

So what vision has God birthed in you? Have you written it down? If not, do so. If you have received and written it down, what are you doing toward bringing it to completion? Have you packed your bag, pulled up your tent stakes, put on your traveling shoes? Have you gotten out the map and asked the Holy Spirit to plot the course? If everything is still in the closet and not in the suitcase, change their place. Are you still flipping through the pages of the atlas trying to figure out how you will go? If so take time to sit with the Trip-Planner, the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to guide you on your journey. Begin today, start now. Don’t delay in discovering and implementing the vision that God has for you. Who knows what the future may hold if we find our vision and run with it.

Dr. John Thompson