2005-12-28 - A Vision in Your Future?

Devotion from Genesis 15

Can there be a vision from the LORD in your future?

The Bible tells us "the word of the LORD came to Abram (later to be known as Abraham) in a vision. There was something important that God wanted Abraham to know, and God decided that the best way to get His attention and to help him fully understand was to show it to him in a vision. If we are trying to construct some device that we have purchased, we seem to comprehend the instructions much easier when we can also see the process in drawings or pictures. God likes to give us instructions for portions of His plans, by spiritually implanting "pictures" into our minds' eyes. That is one of the functions of the Holy Spirit, as was Paul's experience in Acts 16:6-9.

Moses stated in Numbers 11:29 that he wished that all of God's people would be prophets – to have visionary abilities. If you are a "God's people", you are included in this prophesy. A prophetic message from the LORD may come to us by way of a God-fearing pastor, prophet, evangelist, or teacher – and on rare occasions, even from an angel. We may also "see something" from the LORD when we have been reading His Word, and it seems that the words come right off the page of the Bible and into our hearts.

Numbers 12:6 tells us that God definitely wants to give true prophetic visions to His people. He says that He reveals His thoughts to His prophets (those who are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through them) "…in visions"… and by speaking to them "…in dreams". A few hundred years later, God revealed to the prophet, Joel, that the day will come when the LORD will "pour out His Spirit on all people (God's people) and we will "prophesy…dream dreams…and see visions" (Joel 2:28).

The fulfillment of that prophecy of God's magnificent participation into the thoughts of His servants appears in Acts 2:16. Peter announced there, after the ascension of Jesus, that "the Day of the LORD" had arrived. The LORD Jesus Christ brought every believer the possibility of seeing "visions from God". He said that if we would believe in Him, He would send His Spirit to live within us (John 14:17) and He would reveal to us what the Father wants us to know (John 16:15).

God has something important in His Kingdom plans for each of us to accomplish. Whether we fulfill His plan or not depends on whether or not we believe He wants to show it to us. Believing precedes achieving!

A confirming thought from John 14:15-21: Jesus says that if we are His people, we will love Him - proven by obeying Him - and He will show Himself to us by connecting us forever to Himself and the Father through His Spirit.

Oh, LORD, we know your Word is impeccably true. Lord, please help us to have faith that it applies to us today, and to believe that we can receive visions of how our lives can fit into your plans to build a Kingdom for your Son. Show yourself to us now, LORD, in the name of Jesus. Amen!

I love you with the love of the LORD,
Brother Bob

bob@cfdevtionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org