VISION FOR IMPACT (1)

“For all the land which you SEE I give to you and your descendants forever” – Genesis 13:15

Closely allied to Focus is Divine VISION for IMPACT: “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are -northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you SEE I give to you and your descendants forever” (Gen.13:14-15). The Lord set Abram apart by Divine Vision for a Life of Eternal Impact. However, he had to “see” the land to possess it. He had to “see” with the eyes of his spirit – Divine Vision!

Divine Vision is the seeing of a sight with the spiritual eyes, the eyes of our understanding: “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling” (Eph.1:18a). Prior to this moment, Abram’s nephew, Lot, having been granted the right of first choice by his uncle, chose the alluring valleys of Sodom and Gomorrah, depending entirely on physical sight: “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it is well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar” (v.10).

After Lot’s separation, the Lord reiterated and renewed His promise of the land to Abram and his descendants, emphasizing its vastness and permanence. In Genesis 12, Abram had responded to God in obedience of Faith. Now, Vision was released to undergird and reinforce his Faith. God created everything and everyone for definite Purposes – their “Reason for Being”! Divine Vision is the revelation or unveiling of God’s Purpose for our lives; that is, the revelation of the “reason for being”!

In giving Abram a firm Vision of the future, the Lord depicted both terrestrial and celestial images. First, the terrestrial: “And I will make your descendants as the DUST of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered” (v.16). Then, the celestial: “Look now toward heaven, and count the STARS if you are able to number them...So shall your descendants be” (Gen.15:5). God is no respecter of persons. As He inspired divine Visions in Abram’s heart, He is willing and able to reveal and unveil His Visions for our lives, families, communities, and ministries.

God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all (1Jh.1:5). He delights in revealing His purposes for our lives. He gave Abram an increasingly clearer Vision, not just of a physical promised land and a physical nation, but of a spiritual City of God, inhabited by people of Faith – and of Impact! Abraham pursued the Vision, not just for his lifetime but for future generations that would impact eternity! Vision is a vital ingredient for Impact. Once contacted, Vision will set one up for a Life of Perpetual Impact.