Clear Vision on a Hazy Day
February 2024
On a hazy day about nine years ago, I stood on Mount Nebo. You may remember it as where God gave Moses a view of the Promised Land before he died.
"Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)
As I stood at the top with digital strategy leaders from around the world, I felt a little disappointed. “On a clear day, you can see the Jordan River Valley, Jericho, and Jerusalem from the top of this mountain,” our guide said. Due to the weather that day, we couldn’t see much of anything.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses held onto a promise yet to be fulfilled. It was a vision that motivated them and gave them hope. None of them saw that vision realized, but they trusted in God’s faithfulness, and the vision was realized. Moses passed the staff of leadership on to Joshua, who led the Israelites into the land to possess it.
The vision of the Promised Land motivated God’s people to keep moving forward. Some days, they were full of joy, and their faith was tangible. On other days, they grumbled and doubted the vision would ever become a reality. While their attitudes waivered, the vision never did. God created us and never forgot that “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained” (Proverbs 29:18a). He provided vision so they wouldn't lose heart and lose focus on His good plan.
He has given us the vision of the throne room of heaven that is being filled as we persevere in helping to fulfill the Great Commission. Some days, we can sense that the vision is becoming a reality with each missional gap that is reached, each life that is transformed, and each disciple who begins to take steps of faith to multiply online. On other days, our strategies seem fruitless as audiences don’t seem to respond, websites get shut down, or our equipment gets stolen. We question whether our efforts are in vain.
Let me assure you, they are not. God will accomplish the vision, and He will use you to help accomplish it!
Standing on Mount Nebo with Digital Strategies leaders, my attention shifted from the hazy view of the vision God gave to Moses, and it turned to the clear vision that God gave to us as brothers and sisters around me from countries such as Singapore, Argentina, New Zealand, Nigeria, Canada and more. We came together to pray for the vision God gave to us. That vision was being fulfilled in our midst and would continue through us as we returned to our countries to do the work of using digital strategies to fill the throne room.
It is such a powerfully clear vision that continues to motivate me. You play a critical role in motivating me with how you are living your lives and investing your prayers and resources in the Great Commission. Let’s hold fast to the vision of making Jesus and His mission accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, so that the throne room of heaven continues to be filled with people from every missional gap!
