Proverbs 29:1-27
Saturday, 29 April 2023
“Where there is no vision, the people perish….” -Proverbs 29:18[KJV]
Proverbs is a book of maxims filled with lots of guidelines for everyday living. Written from an ocean of experience, the wisdom in the Book of Proverbs can cater to all- young and old alike, at different stages/phases of life.
Let us consider what it means by, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” ‘Vision’ is not just the physical part of our sense of seeing; it has to do with our “insight”- the part within us that has to do with our knowing and understanding. As the dictionary meaning goes, this faculty has to do with our perception, imagination, observation, discernment, etc. Hence without a real vision, individuals, people, communities, nations, cannot sustain themselves long— they perish! Disillusionment, sometimes frustration and chaos can set into lives when there is no vision!
Every individual needs:
1. The inner vision of “knowing” his Maker who can give him a purpose
2 Corinthians 4:4 talks of the spiritually blind, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Therefore we need “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2Corinthians 4:6) to shine in our hearts that we can “see.” That’s spiritual sight. The knowledge of the Living God in our hearts when we receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, opens our inner vision that connects us to God and brings purpose in our lives. Does not the Maker who formed us, know how to put us on the right course— show us what He formed us for?
2. The vision/purpose that can steer his life in the right direction
If we do not know the path we are walking, the way we are going, life can become empty and frustrating. We can go round and round in circles in the mundane routine of life, of getting up, spending the day purposeless and going to bed without having done anything worthwhile the entire day—think of such a life all the days of your life!! It would drive you crazy!
Hence every individual needs a vision in life- a purpose that can steer him in the right direction /goals to reach that can bring fulfilment in life! In Jeremiah 1:5 God spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you...”He knows each of us even before we were created. So He has a plan for each of our lives! Just as a manufacturer knows why he made a particular tool, our Creator God has a design in making you and me—that brings fulfilment!
The Bible points to many who received a vision for their lives and found satisfaction in pursuing their God-given goals—Abraham, Joseph, David, Deborah, Esther, Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, etc. to name a few.
Friend, are you groping through life without a vision or purpose? Has the days become drudgery for you, not knowing the reason you are living for? Let this day be the day you connect to your Creator who can give you meaning and purpose to life. May you receive Christ into your life who will open your inner eyes to know Him so that He can direct your life with a vision inside of you and give you a vision for your life too! May we too say like Paul: “…but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Phil.3:12)
Thought for the Day: “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” ~ Helen Keller