DAY 25 - MID-YEAR RESOLUTIONS
ZACH ATWOOD, YA EVENTS & OPERATIONS TEAM LEAD
“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18a KJV
I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for goals, ambitions, benchmarks, intentions, targets, etc. One of my favorite times of the year is the beginning of the new year because I can justify a new planner, a new journal, and all the new things that would help me with my resolutions (shoutout to Passion Planner that helps you develop your goals into attainable, actionable tasks #SponsorMe). Now here’s the cool part; God also loves goals, ambitions, benchmarks, intentions, targets, etc as well!
As it says in Proverbs 29:18a, “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Now, at first glance, this seems like God wants us to make a dream board and envision what our life could look like, but we need to look at other translations and see how this plays out contextually:
NIV – Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint...
NLT – When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild...
ESV – Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint...
AMP – Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish...
What this shows is that this vision is seen as a revelation, divine guidance, or prophecy. Without that vision, the people lose it and go wild. Don’t get me wrong, this still can be tied to your dreams, your vision board, and your new year’s resolutions, but we need to make sure that your goals and desires are aligned with His! You need to have vision, revelation, divine guidance or you will perish, run wild, or go “bananas.” Now that we got that, let’s keep going.
The second half of Proverbs 29:18 says “...but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Or, let’s match the translations above for a complete picture:
NIV – ...but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
NLT – But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
ESV – ...but blessed is he who keeps the law.
AMP – But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].
Keeping the law, adhering to wisdom, listening to His word brings us blessing and joy. And although these concepts (vision for life and obeying His law) seem completely separate verses, the Proverb was written together. In my head, I see this as a cyclical verse (one that connects the start to the end, then goes back to the start). Let’s see it at a step-by-step process:
Revelation and vision from God provides you with vision for your life
That prophetic vision ensures that you stay the course and don’t lose your marbles
Sticking to His divine guidance He’s provided leads to happiness and blessing
(Assumed step, but pretty sure I’m correct here…) As this newfound happiness and blessing increases, your trust and communication with Him which leads us back to step 1...
So yes, maybe this year hasn’t been what you expected it to be (can I get an Amen?!), but what if rather than leaning on our plans, our goals and our vision for 2020, we sought out His revelation, leaned on Him for divine guidance, and listened for His prophetic vision over our lives? Let’s dust off those 2020 New Year’s Resolutions and create new, God-inspired, mid-year visions for our lives!