Proverbs chapter 29
Today we are walking in: Understand the Process of Vision
Habakkuk 2:2
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
VISION
Today we look to the word VISION- H2377 chazown- vision(in ecstatic state), visions (in night), oracle, prophecy (divine communication), vision (as title of book of prophecy) from H2372; a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle:—vision. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide, to see, behold, to see as a seer in the ecstatic state, to see, perceive with the intelligence, to see (by experience), to provide
The Torah testifies........
Numbers 24:4
He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
Numbers 24:16
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
The prophets proclaim.........
1 Samuel 3:1
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days;there was no open vision H2377.
Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision H2377 and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
The writings bear witness.........
1 Chronicles 17:15
According to all these words, and according to all this vision H2377, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Psalm 89:19
Then thou spakest in vision H2377 to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Principle #6:
Understand the Process of Vision
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
The sixth principle is that we must understand the process of vision. Yah has a plan for each of our lives, yet He brings those plans to pass in a gradual way. I’m learning that Yah tells us where we are going with our visions, but He rarely tells us exactly how He will take us there. He gives us purpose but doesn’t explain the full process.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Notice the word “steps.” Yah didn’t say He would direct our leaps, but rather our steps. There is no hurried way to get to Yah’s vision. He leads us step-by-step, day-by-day, through tribulations, trials, and character-building opportunities as He moves us toward our dreams. Why does Yah lead us in this way? Because He doesn’t want us only to win; He wants us to win with style. Yah’s desire is to fashion people with character and battle scars who can say, “Yah didn’t just hand me this vision. I have qualified for it.”
The Route Prepares Us for the Destination
Sometimes, we become impatient with Yah’s process because we can see our destinations, and we want to arrive there tomorrow. However, Yah says, “No, I have a route that will get you there.” Even though this route may seem long, it is not designed to keep us from our destinations; it is designed to prepare us for them.
At the time when we receive our visions, we are not yet ready for them. We don’t yet have the ability to handle the big things that we’re dreaming. We don’t have the experience or the character for them. Yah could accomplish quickly what He desires to do through us, yet He wants to prepare us to receive and work in our visions.
You must learn to train for what Yah has already told you is coming. You don’t need to worry about whether or not it is going to come. If He has promised that it is coming, then it is. Yet you must stay on course if you’re going to follow the work Yah has called you to do. Stay in the seat where Yah has placed you, put on your seat belt, and hang on until He brings the vision to pass. It will be realized, but you must wait on Him.
We ask Yah, “Why do I need to go this way? I don’t like this route.” He answers that the route is going to do two things forus:
1. develop our character
2. produce responsibility in us
We weren’t born with those things, so we have to learn them. Moreover, if Yah were to show us the route to where we are going, we might say, “That’s okay, Yah. You can keep the vision. I’ll stay right where I am.”
Let’s look at the life of Joseph as an example. When he was only seventeen years old, he had a dream from Yah in which his father, mother, and brothers were kneeling down before him. (See Genesis 37:9–10.) Joseph thought to himself, “Yes! I like this dream.” He saw himself up on a throne with a whole kingdom at his feet. In his mind, he was King Joseph.
Yah had given him a vision, yet He didn’t tell him how he was going to get there. Suppose Yah had said, “Joseph, you’re going to become a great ruler, and here is what I have planned to get you there. First, your brothers are going to tear your favorite clothes right off your back. Second, they are going to throw you into a pit. Third, they are going to sell you as a slave. Fourth, your master’s wife is going to lie about you, accusing you of rape. Fifth, your master is going to have you put in jail, where you will be forgotten for a long time. However, eventually, you’ll get there.” If Yah had said that, Joseph probably would have replied, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll just stay a shepherd. I’m very happy where I am right now.”
Some of you are in the midst of the vision process and are wondering, “Where’s the vision Yah promised me? Where are all those big dreams He showed me five years ago? The business I was working for closed down. I lost my job, and then I lost my house. This doesn’t look anything like the vision He showed me.” You are beginning to wonder if there is a Yah in heaven. Joseph likely felt the same way during his ordeals. He found himself sitting in a pit when, just a few days earlier, he had seen himself on a throne. He was probably thinking, “Where is the Yah who showed me that dream?” I believe Yah’s reply to Joseph was something like this: “I’m with you in the pit, and I’m working on your character because you can’t rule well without it.”
Suppose Joseph hadn’t learned self-control through all his hardships? When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he might have given in to the temptation. Instead, because he had had to learn discipline and reliance on Yah, he could be trusted in such a situation. Yah’s ways of getting us where we need to go are often different from what we expect, but there is always a good reason for them.
Do you really believe that Yah sees and knows everything? If you do, then you have to trust that your hardships are part of His perfect plan for you. If you lost your job this morning, your first question may be, “How am I going to pay the mortgage?” Yet Yah will say to you, “Do you believe I know you?” If you answer, “Yes, Lord,” He will say, “Good. It’s part of the plan. I’m working on your character. Let me take care of your mortgage.”
Let’s look at another example. What if Yah had said to Moses, while he was still one of the most powerful men in Egypt as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, “I have raised you up to be a deliverer to bring My people out of Egypt into the Promised Land, but this is how it will transpire: In your zeal to protect My people, you will rashly murder an Egyptian, and you will have to flee into the wilderness and become a mere shepherd. Then, when you become the leader of the Israelites, they are going to infuriate you. They are going to murmur and complain. They are going to revolt against you. As a matter of fact, because of your reaction to them, you will disobey Me, and you won’t even make it into the Promised Land.” I think Moses would have said, “Lord, You can keep both the people and Pharaoh. I think I’ll pass on this vision.”
We think that, just because we’re going through difficult times, Yah has stopped working to fulfill our purposes. Yet they are still coming. Yah is working on us, preparing us for our purposes through the process. However, we often sit back and say, “Why is it taking so long? Why do I have to go through all this?” That attitude of complaint and lack of faith is exactly what Yah is trying to work out of you. He doesn’t want you to go into your promised land dragging bad attitudes behind you. He is working for your good.
What about Daniel? Yah appointed him to be a prophet and allowed him to see visions of future events, including the end times, yet Yah didn’t tell him that he would be thrown into a lion’s den for obeying Him! Again, Yah’s plan to get you where you are meant to be is unpredictable. He doesn’t tell you about it because you might be tempted to quit.
What about Paul? Yah told him, essentially, “You will be an apostle to the Gentiles for Me. You will preach to kings.” (See Acts 9:15.) Paul might have thought, “That sounds pretty good.” However, if Yah had told him about the fastings, the whippings, the stonings, the hunger, and the prisons, Paul might have said, “I think I’ll stay in Jerusalem rather than going on that road to Damascus.” As it was, after his conversion, Yah did warn Paul through Ananias, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (v. 16).
What about Yahusha? When the Son of Yah was born, wise men came to visit Him. They bowed down before Him, calling Him a king. Yet what a process He had to go through to get to that throne! In the Garden of Gethsemane, Yahusha began to feel the burden, and He prayed, in effect, “Isn’t there any other way?” (See Matthew 26:36–44.) He felt what you are feeling. You might say, “Isn’t there another way to start a business?” Yah will answer, “No. This is the way I am taking you. You want to have a shoe store? Good. I want you to start by working in one.” Or you might ask, “Isn’t there a better way of opening my own restaurant?” and Yah will say, “You’ll have your restaurant, but first you have to learn to cook for someone else. This is your route. I’m working on your character and your training.” Sometimes, we want the vision without being qualified for it.
You may not face a life-or-death situation, as some of Yah’s people have, but you will have challenges and difficulties in one degree or another as you move toward the fulfillment of your vision. That is why I want you to be aware of the process of vision and be prepared for it. I don’t want you to give up on your vision prematurely. Yah will continually fulfill a little more of your dream until it comes to pass. It will culminate in His timing. This is the will of Yah for you. Lamentations 3:26 says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
I wrote earlier that Monday mornings are depressing for many people because they hate their jobs. Yet such jobs can serve a purpose in Yah’s plan. Yah places us in jobs that will prepare us for our life’s work. Remember that a job is a pre- occupation on the way to true occupation.
If you are frustrated with your job, you need to stay there unless Yah directs otherwise, realizing that it is not your permanent position. I’m very glad for each of the jobs I have had, because they all prepared me for what I’m doing right now. What I am doing now is so fulfilling that I could do it for the rest of my life. Therefore, submit yourself to your job, learn what you’re supposed to learn, and get all the knowledge that you can from it, because you’re going to move on in a little while.
Purpose gives your job meaning. Being in a pit and in prison didn’t stop Joseph because he saw himself as a ruler, and he knew that one day his vision would be fulfilled. Yah’s purpose in your heart is what enables you to keep moving forward.
The Vision Will Not Prove False
The prophet Habakkuk asked Yah, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2). He was referring to all the problems and difficulties that were taking place in his nation. There was disorder, corruption, and murder. The Lord’s answer to him was this:
Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay....But the righteous will live by his faith.(Habakkuk 2:2–4)
The vision that you have received awaits an appointed time. It speaks concerning the end—not the end of life or the end of the age, but the end, or fulfillment, of your dream. “It speaks of the end and will not prove false.” In other words, Yah is saying, “If I gave you a vision, don’t worry that it seems as if it isn’t happening. It will come to pass.” In the meantime, we are told that “the righteous will live by his faith.”
This is where walking by faith and not by sight comes in. You must believe in what Yah has told you because it won’t happen overnight. It will occur through a process of character development, which will come as you live by faith and inner vision—not by what you see.
Action Steps to Fulfilling Vision
How has Yah used experiences in your life to build character in you?
What character qualities has Yah shown you that you need to work on?
List ways in which your job is preparing you for your life’s work, such as skills, knowledge, and experience.
Chapter Principles
1. Yah has a plan for each of our lives, yet He brings those plans to pass in a gradual way.
2. Yah will tell you where you are going with your vision, but He will rarely tell you exactly how He will take you there.
3. There is no hurried way to get to Yah’s vision.
4. At the time that we receive our visions, we are not yet ready for them.
5. The process of vision (1) develops our character and (2) produces responsibility in us.
6. Yah places us in jobs that will prepare us for our life’s work.
7. The vision Yah has given you will come to pass. Until then, you are to live by faith.
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