I had lunch with a friend that recently became the owner of a small business. We were meeting because, in addition to assuming the responsibilities of a business right before the pandemic hit, they were trying to get all of their employees to work collaboratively rather than individualistically.

As someone that has assumed leadership roles in an environment where everything has been established for quite some time, I sympathize with the difficulties they were facing. As I listened it occurred to me that one of the issues might be that there was no shared vision amongst the staff. Everyone had their own goals, ideas, and reasons for being there, and those reasons existed long before the change in ownership. While this kind of environment might enable a team to function, and a business to exist, it will rarely lead towards anything that resembles thriving. Thriving would require the team to share a common vision that would serve as both the compass to guide, and the fuel to propel them in the right direction.

So, confident in my assessment, I offered them the encouragement to come up with a vision and share it with their team. To this I added, “make sure that it’s a compelling vision.”

A few hours after our meeting I began feeling bothered by my advice. At first I thought it was because I sounded like one of those YouTube gurus. You know the type, they’re always repeating things just like, “If the vision doesn’t compel, the vision doesn’t sell.” But even though that advice is cliche, and sometimes corny, there is truth behind it. A dull vision won’t make you move two inches, let alone change the direction of an organization. 

As usual, a good night of sleep brought clarity for me. It occurred to me that the thing bothering me was my recommendation that my friend, “come up with a vision.” In that moment I realized that that was burdensome advice for me, a pastor, child of God, and student of Jesus, to give to a fellow child of God. The burden of “coming up with a vision” is not for those who are already a part of an organization with an established vision, it’s for those who are starting new and truly on their own. This is never the case for children of God. Even in entrepreneurial and novel adventures, we are never really on our own. 

When one enters the Kingdom of God one joins an organization — The Organization — that is fueled by a long standing and perfect vision, and they get to learn to live from that vision with an abundant supply of love, grace, and the power of the Visionary; namely, God.

So, my advice should not have been that they come up with a vision; instead, it should’ve been to spend time discerning and receiving the vision that God had for their life and business. So I quickly sent a message correcting my gaffe, then I shared some thoughts on how to do just that. Here are some helpful steps for anyone else that might be interested. 

How to Receive a Vision From God

The most important thing to remember when considering receiving anything from God is that, generally speaking, God is not interested in merely telling people what to do, or giving people the things they think they need. He’s not like our GPS systems that guide us at every turn. Instead, God is personal; rather than merely giving us the answers to our questions, he prefers to give us himself, because with him comes all the answers to life’s questions (Romans 8:32). So a shift must be made in our approach. We must move away from merely wanting answers, advice, or guidance, towards wanting God. This begins with prayer. 

 

Related Articles: Hearing God by Dallas Willard, Chapter Summaries

Prayer

While being aware that God’s primary gift to us is himself, we should still tell God the things we need and want, even if this means telling him that we want to want him more than the gifts or guidance he gives. This is a way of beginning and strengthening a relationship, because it requires vulnerability to go to anybody with a need, including God. So prayer is always foundational.

Learn About God

Since God is relational, we must make every effort to discover what this relational God is like. There are many ways of doing this, none better than reading the story he gave us—the Bible. 

By reading the Bible we learn about the character of God, the desires of God. We see what angers God and what God delights in. And, ultimately, in Jesus we see exactly what God is like. As Archbishop Michael Ramsey said, “God is Christlike, and there is no unChristlikeness in him.”

So as we learn what God is like, this knowledge will begin to inform our minds about the kind of vision God has for creation, for us and all we’re involved in. We will begin to see how God would be in business, in a relationship, in school, etc. 

Listen

Frank Laubach’s statement on listening cannot be improved upon. He said,

“The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says ‘Amen’ and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving Him your ideas. ”

As we pray and learn about God we should, remembering that God is relational, make time to listen for God to speak. This might mean sitting in silence regularly, it could mean paying attention to how God might use another person, or words in a magazine, or lyrics from a song, etc. This is how relationships work, they include speaking, listening, and responding.

Record As You Receive

If you set out to hear from God you will begin to hear or sense him speaking; write down what you are hearing! You will notice that some of the things you are sensing about your future may be the kinds of things God would will. You can now lift this to God (and some trusted friends) as a prayer.

As you engage in these steps continuously a vision will begin to emerge. You will begin feeling freedom to move in a certain direction.

Live From That Vision 

When you’re ready to move, make sure you’re moving from the vision you’ve been given. This means placing it before your mind and taking the deliberate steps needed to enter into the life that God has created for you. As Vance Havner said, “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps — we must step up the stairs.” To that I would add that we step up the stairs with a knowledge that we do not do so on our own, but in fellowship with the God who has given himself to us.