Where There is No Vision, The People Perish

The Proverbs tell us the importance of having a vision for the future.

You need a vision.  God has a plan for your life, and you want to discern it as fully as possible.  You can discover your plan by considering your gifts, your abilities, your interests, your temperament, and the people God has placed you among.  You may live out your life’s plan at your job or with your family or in your community.  Whatever and wherever it might be, you need a vision.

We need a vision.  The proverb is plural and applies to any organization with which we may be affiliated.  Large corporations, small businesses, churches, neighborhood groups, and families all need to discern their future.  Most organizations start out with a clear vision.  Over time, that vision often becomes blurred because of setbacks and conflicts and changes of circumstance.  The key to renewal of an organization gone adrift is to reclaim the vision.

The vision needs to come from God.  This is the precise meaning of the proverb.  If the vision is not from God, it will not succeed.  The way to form a vision is to immerse yourself in God’s word.  Jesus had a vision of where God was leading him and all of us.  He called that vision “the kingdom of God.”  Our  personal and collective visions need to be grounded in God.

In our sermon this Sunday we will look at the proverb: “Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”