I was not disobedient to the vision
from heaven. — Acts 26:19
When
Jesus Christ appeared to Paul and told him to preach the gospel, there was
nothing hesitant about Paul’s response: he obeyed, keeping the vision from
heaven bright before him as he began fulfilling his commission (Acts 26:12–19).
If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible; it means that we’ve been lax
and careless in our spiritual lives. The only way to be obedient to the vision
God sends is to give our utmost for his highest, and this can only be done by
continually and resolutely recalling the vision, while working steadily to
realize it. The test is to keep the vision in our sights not only during times
of prayer and devotion but sixty seconds of every minute, sixty minutes of
every hour.
“Though
it linger, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot rush the fulfillment of
a vision; we have to live in its light until it accomplishes itself through us.
Sometimes, after we receive a vision, we grow impatient. We go racing off into
practical work, hoping to speed things along. Then the work becomes our focus,
and we lose sight of the vision. We don’t even notice when it has been
fulfilled! Working to realize the vision is necessary, but we must
work steadily, without rush or force, and only when and where God chooses.
Our ability to wait for the vision that lingers is a test of our loyalty to
him.
After God
gives a vision to his disciple, he always sends a whirlwind, flinging his
disciple to the place where the seed of the vision will take root and grow. Are
you ready to be sown, so that the vision can fulfill itself through you? The
answer depends on whether or not you’re living in the light of what you’ve
seen. Let God fling you out, and don’t go until he does. If you try to dictate
where you’ll go, you’ll prove empty. But if you let God sow you, you will bring
forth fruit.
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