Always More

Always More

I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey. Romans 15:24

PAUL HAD PLANS. Big ones. He had learned the art of dreaming with God, and because he could envision great, eternal purposes, he was able to participate in them and advance them far beyond others’ expectations. In a time when relatively few people pictured the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem, Samaria, and perhaps Antioch and Egypt, Paul and his friends could see much further in terms of time, geography, and the plans of God. So they went where few had gone before, driven by greater zeal than most had demonstrated, enduring and overcoming numerous obstacles to take the Good News of the Kingdom far and wide. Why? Because they had a vision.

Paul had a vision of Jesus that launched his initial calling (Acts 9:3-19), and then while worshiping was among several leaders to be given further direction into the Hellenistic world (Acts 13:2). We don’t know if his plans to go to Spain by way of Rome ever materialized—by most accounts, he got to Rome under much different circumstances and died there—but that isn’t the point. He had God-given longings (see also Romans 1:11-12, 15). His heart beat with God’s; he could see down the road into God’s global agenda, and he wanted to be part of it. And he was. He and a few other believers were instrumental in taking the gospel to distant lands because they had learned to desire, dream, envision, and walk with God.

When you think of yourself as God’s friend, receive his desires and purposes, and begin dreaming and planning with him, you’ll find that the desires of your heart grow much bigger than you are. You may wonder how you could ever possibly fulfill the things you would love to do, and you will be driven both to pray and act on the impulses and ambitions within you. Fulfilling them all is not the point; moving in the direction of them is what matters. You will pray, believe, and walk in step with the God who is always planning more and carrying out purposes that outlive you.

Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, and the expected.