Dear Friends,
One of the great challenges for college faculty is figuring out a way to manipulate . . . err . . . motivate students to participate in hours of seemly endless drudgery and pay for the privilege. If you happen to be a student in the religion department at a Nazarene institution, like I was, you can be sure quotes from the likes of John Wesley and Phineas F. Bresee,
founder of the Church of the Nazarene, are certainly going to make their way into the motivational repertoire. One of those I heard frequently was a story of a person asking old Phiney what he would do if he were told he only had ten years to live. Phiney, lowering his voice and fixing his eyes on his poor unsuspecting inquisitor replied he would spend the first five years preparing for the last five. With that men came into the room and carried off the questioner to study in one of the many fine Nazarene institutions of higher learning. From then on no one dared asked Phiney any more questions.
Whether the story is true or legend it illustrates an important principle about the steps we take as a visions grows within our souls.
Building Block #3: Pray for opportunities and plan as if you expect God to answer your prayers.
“New visions die easily. And understandably so. There is little to go on. Praying and planning will help you keep your vision alive. And that is critical. When your vision dies, part of you dies as well. So pray. Pray for opportunities. Pray for the people who could help you launch your vision. And while you wait, plan! Develop a strategy. Dream on paper. Find the one or two things you can do and get busy” (38).
It may seem counterintuitive to pray and plan at the same time but planning is about putting ourselves in a position where we are able to respond to God when the time comes. Nehemiah had a vision for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but he was the cup bearer to the King of Babylon. What are some the areas that Nehemiah would have been able to plan for? He could have planned how he would respond when God softened the King’s heart and opened a door for Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem. He could have thought about what he was going to need, the letters for travel, the supplies, etc. He might have even looked into just how a wall is built. We know that there were non-Jewish people living in the land at the time. He could have studied their languages, at least enough the ask where the bathroom is at and the directions to the nearest McDonalds. These are just a few.
Even as we plan, we should not be surprised if God uses our plans in a way we never expected.
If the opportunity came today for you to move toward your vision would we be ready? What can you do to prepare?
Blessings,
Stephen
Quotations taken from:
Stanley, Andy. Visioneering. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2005.