“…I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28
God’s way of dealing with men is to speak to them, to their hearts and minds. He does this in such a way that will convince them of the fact that He exists, also that He is holy, righteous, and good. As we see in the book of Revelation, Christ comes to the heart to knock at the door. Every knock is God appealing to every heart, seeking unrestricted access to meet the deepest needs of the heart. It is a remarkable thing that He does not force His way into the heart but waits patiently for the favorable response from within. That which the individual does not so often understand is that with the knock, the voice of Christ is addressing, or speaking to the individual. With His words come the power to respond, open the door, giving Him literal access to the heart, mind, and soul. Christianity is not the words, concepts, laws, and philosophies of men. It is a meeting and communion between God and man. But that which is very peculiar to this relationship, is the “WAY” by which it is established, and the “MEANS” by which it works. Essential to grasp concerning God, and Him reaching out to save lost man, is principle by which He gives a clear vision, the perception of that which is true from heaven’s standpoint. But along with that knowledge, He gives in answer to the seeking heart, His power, to be used, and exercised in His way, for His glory, in order that men will always give glory to God. How then does one have a vision, that perception of the truth as it is in Christ, and then as a result, receive the power for the fulfillment of it in the life?
Throughout Biblical history, even the history of the world, we find that when man reaches the absolute end of his resources, God in His mercy interjects Himself into the situation, to reveal to man not only his need of Christ but gives man the knowledge and power by which he can rise from the dust to meet God upon His throne. In the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel, we find a picture of Israel resembling a valley of dead, dry bones. It is there in the vision that Israel declares: “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” (37:11) It is into such a situation that God speaks and commands the prophet Ezekiel to command the bones to hear the word of the Lord. God gives a vision of what He is going to do. Then, as the prophet obeys the Lord, the power of God is revealed in the bringing together of the bones. The same thing will occur when the word of the Lord is addressed to the wind. The lifeless breathless bodies, were lying on the ground. But when the vision came declaring what God would do, and the prophet obeyed by “prophesying to the wind,” breath came into those bodies, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, “…an exceeding great army.” (v.10) Here is the pattern which God uses for the blessing of helpless men in hopeless situations, even those which are impossible. He speaks and gives a vision of what He is going to do. He looks for someone who will truly trust and obey Him, and then, in response to faith, God works wondrously.
To the believers in Ephesus, God led the Apostle Paul to address this need of prayer for a vision. Paul called it, prayer for the “…Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, Christ.” (Eph. 1:17) In the third chapter of his letter, Paul then prays for the believers to be “…strengthened with might by His Spirit.” (v.16) God then does the exceeding abundantly above ALL that we ask or think, according to His glorious power.
Dear Father, Work in us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.