Clear Vision
1. I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2. And the LORD answered me, and said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.”
3. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Habakkuk 2:1-3
Insight Problems – Not Seeing God’s Plan
We depend on examinations by experts to help us see clearly. The ophthalmologist conducts a series of test to evaluate problems and to find remedies to correct our vision. It can be argued that if clear vision is critical to natural sight, clear vision is also critical for spiritual sight. without spiritual exams, we will not be able to clearly see God’s plan.
In the 1970s a young man from Kinston, Jamaica topped the billboard charts with the hit song, “I Can See Clearly Now.” Those lyrics talk about the obstacles that can get in our way and block us from seeing as we ought.
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind – It’s gonna be a bright, bright Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for. It’s gonna be a bright, bright Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies.
Our clear vision can only come when God reveals His truth. When we turn our hearts to seek God’s Sovereign Will, we see clearly. That is what Habakkuk did when obstacles got in his way. Listen to his words. I will stand upon my watch, and sit upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. This should be our path to “clear vision.”
God desires that His children see past their present circumstances and look forward to the brighter day. This means correcting us and dealing with all obstacles that would prevent us from having that clear vision. Habakkuk’s “insight problems” stemmed from his reluctance to accept the reality that God is patient. He wondered why God would wait so long to deal with the iniquity of His people. His second insight problem was that God would use the ungodly Chaldeans as His rod of correction on Israel. This made no sense to the prophet, and he replied, I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
Habakkuk is not alone in dealing with insight problems. It boggles our mind when we see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. We have blurred understanding when we witness people mocking the very God we serve and seemingly there is no judgment. We can’t understand why innocent people suffer such hardship while the evil ones parade about in their arrogance. As another prophet said, Judgement is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off: for truth has fallen in the street. Isaiah 59:14. You rub your eyes thinking it is all a mistake and yet wickedness and ungodliness seem to be winning on every side. What has happened? This is a problem with insight, and we need to see clearly that God has His plan.
The Insight Examination
Blurred vision is not just a matter of disillusion; it is a matter of danger for the soul if not corrected. When life situations begin to taunt the believer to the point that they want to give up, that is endangering the soul. That is when we, like Habakkuk, have to stand upon our watchtower to seek clarity from God. Here is the key: you must have a desire to want to see clearly. God is the only power that can restore vision.
Habakkuk knew he had an insight problem and wasted no time admitting it. How do we know and acknowledge our insight issues? First, we must admit that our vision is blurred rather than avoiding the issue. If you are bitter and angry about things that you cannot change – you have blurred vision. If you have lost your joy because of these issues of injustice – you have blurred vision. If quietly in your heart, you are beginning to compromise your morals because the wicked are not being punished – you have blurred vision. You have lost your ability to deal with the problem and you need the loving care of the Holy Spirit.
Second, the examination will show that your trust level has been damaged. The insight problems can lead to a severe distrust of people, even those around you. Deep down, those with trust issues also distrust whether God is willing to do anything about the situation. This anti-trust can lead to withdrawal, loneliness, and ultimately to your own self destruction. The examination by the Holy Spirit will reveal the exact timing of your distrust. He will show you the incident that caused your hurt.
The third issue the examination will reveal is your struggling faith in the future. It seems that many believers are questioning whether the future is worth it. That is better known as spiritual near-sightedness. The focus is on the present rather than future. Upon closer examination, the focus is on the problem rather than the problem Solver. When these insight issues begin to take over our thoughts and even our rest, this is a clear sign that we need to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Like Habakkuk, it is imperative to seek God’s answers rather than leaning to our own understanding. The great news is that God is waiting for us to seek His guidance. Just as the Lord answered the struggling prophet, God will answer us in our anxieties. And the LORD answered me, and said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.”
Vision Correction
The Lord Almighty corrects our vision so that we can respond with action. God’s reply to Habakkuk was powerful. “Write the vision” was a way of saying “don’t get it twisted.” More importantly, God was saying to the prophet, your vision is incorrect, this is the one you need to follow and take action. In order to correct our vision, we must see things God’s way. God shows us the truth rather than our perception of the truth. It is only the truth that sets you free.
The second aspect of vision correction will be to determine who else has suffered in the faith and how did God help them. The Bible often speaks of those who have suffered “like or similar persecution.” Rather than looking at our woes and pains as isolated occurrences, we can see that others in the faith have also suffered. As a matter of fact, the Examiner reveals His own scars. Jesus was wounded for right. We are told to look unto Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith.
In all actuality, you cannot see anything until you look to Jesus. If you don’t see Jesus working in the situation, you will be left in the dark. If you can’t see that trouble won’t last always, you are still in the dark. When you look to Jesus, you will find that He is you Way-maker and your Burden-bearer. If things look blurry, keep looking and you will find that God’s love for you never changes. God’s mercy is new every morning. Keep looking and you will discover that God did not bring you this far and keep you all this long just to abandon you now. If you keep looking you will find that you are almost to the place where God wants you. Keep looking and you will discover that weeping may endure for a night – but joy comes in the morning light. Just keep looking until you see Jesus.
God answers and replaces the blurred vision with His vision. And the LORD answered me, and said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.” The correct vision will make you walk right. The correct vision will change your conversation. The correct vision will lead you in the path of righteousness for His Name sake. That is the correct vision.
Lastly, the correction process involves changing our perception of who we are. It happens with problems, that our identity is either stolen or misplaced. Some people label themselves a failure, a victim, a loser, or some other term. That vision is not the one God has given. His vision is your plan for the future. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. I want to use this verse to point out that God’s vision for you is your future. I realize that the context of Habakkuk’s vision was regarding the future of Israel and God’s wonderful plan. But that verse also applies to anyone that accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Why would God save you just for you to lose sight of who you are in Christ? You and I were redeemed so that God’s vision for our life would stand throughout the ages. We belong to Him. We are kept by Him. One day, we will be in Glory with Him. That vision will not fail.
Keep this clear vision, For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. When we stand in the presence of God, we will all say Amen because God’s Vision never fails. That is clear vision.