Higher Vision

Higher Vision

There are days when it appears my very best intentions go awry.
There are times when even my most thought-out inventions never fly.
And everything I thought that you wanted me to do
Seems to be the very opposite of what you really want me to,
And then I ask, “Why should I try?”

Sometimes I can find my way only to discover I am lost.
Or I pledge my life to you only to remember there’s a cost.
And when I just give up and decide that I can’t win,
Then I see off on the distant shore a light however dim,
And there it stands again, I see the cross.

I go forth to serve Your Kingdom but I lose my footing on the way.
I speak boldly of salvation then I stumble over words to say.
And when it seems that I’m just as worthless as can be,
You will wipe away the tears and show me what I simply cannot see
And there it is, a brand new day.

My life seems like a tiny speck in this grand scheme of things,
And right now I can’t know what consequences my life brings.
I know you have a plan for me if I will persevere;
If I will simply follow you and put aside my fear.
And when I cannot seem to see what’s right in front of me,
It’s comforting to know for sure that you can see eternity.

You’re seeing all that has ever been
You’re seeing all that will come again.
You know the ultimate mission.
You have a higher vision.

The story of Joseph is one of the best-known stories in the Bible.  Many have heard the story in Sunday school of the young man with great aspirations and a beautiful coat who is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and eventually becomes a great leader in Egypt.  But there is more to this biography than may initially meet the eye.

Joseph was the product of a dysfunctional family.  Joseph’s father (Jacob) met Joseph’s mother (Rachel) when he went to stay with Rachel’s father Laban.  Jacob loved Rachel and asked for her hand in marriage. Laban agreed, but only if Jacob would work for him for seven years.  Jacob agreed, and the seven years passed. The marriage happened, but when Jacob awoke the next morning, he discovered that his father-in-law had switched daughters and given him Rachel’s older sister, Leah, instead.  (It was customary to marry off the eldest daughter first.) Jacob was allowed to marry Rachel as well for another seven years of labor. If this wasn’t enough to cause family discord, Leah bore Jacob several children, but Rachel remained barren for many years. Then, miraculously, Rachel bore a son to Jacob, and the boy was named Joseph.  Jacob was thrilled and loved this son more than the others. He treated him differently and educated him while his brothers tended the sheep. This openly preferential attention, as you can well imagine, created hostility between Joseph and his brothers. (Imagine this family on a reality TV show!) Things got no better when Joseph told his family about dreams where they were bowing down to him. As a result of all of this, his brothers conspired against him, and he was sold to be a slave in Egypt.

Because Joseph was an educated man, he soon found himself “promoted” into a position in the home of one of the Pharaoh’s officers.  For a slave, this was a good place to be, and for a time, it seemed like things would be ok. Then things took a turn for the worse. The wife of his master found herself attracted to Joseph and attempted to seduce him.  Joseph knew this was wrong and denied her. In her anger, the woman falsely accused Joseph of attacking her, and Joseph was thrown into jail. It seemed like Joseph’s dreams were simply that… dreams. Have you ever felt as though you were stuck and that your goals were well out of your reach?  I can only imagine the despair and frustration that Joseph must have felt. Joseph couldn’t even see the world around him from his cell. How could he see the goal that God supposedly had for his life?

Fortunately for Joseph (and for us), God has a much better vantage point than we do.  God can see all of eternity – past, present and future. How many times have we looked back at events in our lives and said, “I wish I knew then what I know now”?  Hindsight is certainly 20/20, but for God, so is the foresight. God already knows the future and knows where we need to be in order to have a meaningful impact on that future.  Furthermore, God knows what needs to happen in our lives to get us to a point where we can fulfill his purpose for our lives. God had plans to use Joseph, but he needed to position him, both in maturity and situation, to do what was needed.

While Joseph was in prison, God was working out a vision.  God set up the circumstances to put Joseph right where he needed to be – in the courts of the Pharaoh himself.  When the Pharaoh began having prophetic dreams of a devastating famine that was to come, he sent for the man in prison whose God gave him interpretations of dreams. This placed Joseph in a position to warn the Pharaoh of the devastation that would come and to use his knowledge and experience to suggest a plan to save up enough food to feed the country during the seven years of famine.  Joseph was made a leader in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh and was in a position to save the people of the land, and to save his own family when they came to seek food. Through Joseph, the Israelite nation was preserved through the famine and prospered greatly. Did any of this happen by chance? Not at all. God’s hand was in every circumstance. He knew exactly what Joseph needed to learn and where he needed to be.  He knew the proper timing of every event and what the outcome would be.

This is a lesson that took many years for me to learn.  When I was a graduate student, I worked as a graduate assistant in the advising office.  I loved my job and my co-workers and could think of nowhere else that I would rather work.  In my last year as a student, I was told of two regular, full-time positions that would be opening up at the end of the year.  I had a good track record, and my supervisors felt that I would be an excellent addition. As the year drew to a close, I applied for both positions with great anticipation.  I didn’t bother sending out other resumes, as I felt certain that I would be chosen to fill one of the openings. The week of the announcement was the same week as graduation and, unknown to me, my co-workers were planning a welcome / graduation party for me that week.  That party would never take place. A directive came down from the main office that, due to the shortage of men in the department, they were directing the hire of male candidates for both positions. I was devastated, and I was angry with God for taking this opportunity away from me.  All I could see was the loss. Looking back, I thank God for taking me out of that situation. My life now is so much greater than I could have imagined, and it is filled with promises that could never have seen light in that university setting. Now I look back and see that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I can see the lessons that I needed to learn along the way to get to where I am now.

Does that mean that every circumstance in our lives is brought on by God?  I’m sure that you’ve heard this statement: “Everything happens for a reason!”  Personally I don’t believe that, nor do I believe that God orchestrates everything in our lives toward a specific outcome.  It simply isn’t Biblical, nor is it compatible with the free will we were given. Sometimes things just happen. We live in a fallen world, and we will all experience both good and bad in our lives.  Sometimes it is a result of something we did, but not always. We make decisions every day of our life, and God can work with all of those things. All of that said, there are times when God will directly intervene or allow things to happen, some of which are very painful. 

• He may want to direct us to a certain path.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Prov 3:5-6)
  
• He may be preparing us for something. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”  (Rom 5:3-5)
  
• He may correct us if we are going down the wrong path, just as any good parent would.  “For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”  (Proverbs 3:12)
  
• He may want us to be a living testimony to others.  “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”  (Philippians 1: 12-14)
  
• He may simply need for us to experience the outcomes of our actions. “Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.  If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.”  (Prov 19:19)

Regardless of where we find ourselves, the Bible says this: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  (Rom 8:28). Keep in mind… if you’re living in un-repented rebellion, God will not reward that.  But if you’ve committed your life to your Savior, God can create good from even the most wretched condition.  

God can see all of eternity.  He already knows the end of the story.  He knows where you need to be, what you need to learn, what resources you need, and which direction you need to go.  God has the big picture. We see only a tiny part of the picture. We are in the same jail as Joseph was, not able to see the light of day.  We can take comfort in the fact that God is timeless and knows everything from start to finish. He is truly able to see your situation and know exactly what needs to happen.  You simply need to trust him.

So what is God’s purpose for you?  The Bible makes it clear that we are to worship Him, have a relationship with Jesus, and to make disciples of all nations. These things we can do without question.  We do all have our own individual gifts, and by growing closer to God, He will guide you best on how to use them.

God’s Higher Vision

Not only does God have the higher vision in our lives, but he knows all of history from the beginning of time to the end. Joseph is a “typology” of Jesus. God used Joseph to point directly to Jesus. Here is a quick summary of the parallels between Joseph and Jesus:

• Joseph was the beloved son of Jacob; Jesus was the beloved Son of God the Father.
• Joseph was give a coat “of many colors” which is better translated to a coat of authority; Jesus was given authority by the Father.
• Joseph was sent to find his brothers who were getting into trouble; God sent Jesus to humanity doing the same.
• Joseph was a shepherd; Jesus was the Good Shepherd.
• Joseph was hated by his brothers; Jesus was hated by his brothers, the Jews.
• Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him; the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Jesus.
• Joseph was stripped of his robe and his authority; Jesus was stripped of his robe at Calvary, and he laid down his authority.
• Joseph was sold for the price of a common slave (a few pieces of silver); Jesus was betrayed for the same.
• Joseph was taken to Egypt, Jesus was moved to Egypt because of Herod.
• Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, but refused; Jesus was tempted by Satan but refused.
• Joseph was put in prison with two other prisoners. One was saved but the other was not. Jesus was on the cross with two prisoners. One was saved when he acknowledged Jesus but the other mocked him and was not.
• Jospeh was 30-years-old when Pharaoh put him in command; Jesus was 30 at the start of his ministry.
• Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him; the Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as their Messiah.
• Joseph wept over his brothers; Jesus wept over the Jews lack of faith.
• Both were falsely accused, and both forgave their accusers.
• Joseph saved his nation physically; Jesus saved humanity spiritually.
• Both acknowledge that what man meant for evil, God used for Good.
• Joseph was eventually recognized by his brothers; Jesus will eventually be recognized by his brothers, the Jews.
• Both were exalted after their suffering.

God really does have the higher vision!

Related Devotional

Reset Part 5: Equipped by God

If you are interested in exploring God’s purpose for your life more fully, here are a few articles you can look at. 

What is God’s Purpose for your Life (And How to Find It.) by Mike Ward
WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE (AND HOW TO FIND IT)

8 Keys to Knowing God’s Will For Your Life by Chris Russell
8 Keys to Knowing God’s Will For Your Life

Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life; C.S. Lewis Institute
Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life

You can also get the book “Visioneering” by Andy Stanley, as he provides useful insight.

Music and lyrics by LuAnne Barnet.  Copyright (c) 2004 LuAnne Barnet.  All Rights Reserved

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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