Praying With Vision - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. (2 Corinthians 5:16)

MEDIEVAL DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES often focused on pictures rather than text. Monks and nobles could read, but many common people could not. So instead of meditating on words written on a page, people often meditated on a picture that represented the words. Images of Jesus and his sacrifice were powerful in prompting transforming thoughts. People understood the power of vision.

Not only does Scripture support this power of vision in our relationship with God (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Hebrews 12:2, for example), it also supports it with regard to other people. When we look at people with suspicion—as competitors for status or love or affirmation rather than as objects of God’s affection—we close off our hearts and limit the depths of our relationships. When we define people by their past or even their present, we miss out on what God is doing in their lives. When we focus on people’s flaws and problems, we pray for them without power and hope. We begin to define the world around us through the wounds and weaknesses of our own hearts.

What would we think of a businessperson who constantly stared at company losses but never at company vision? Or a ministry leader who was obsessed with opposition and obstacles but never the mission itself? We would have little hope for growth and advancement in such instances because we instinctively know the power of focus—that, like sunflowers turning toward the sun, our hearts always unfold toward their vision. We were designed to live by hope.

Next time you pray for a prodigal, take your eyes off the bad decisions, the negative influences, and the dangerous situations. Fill your mind instead with a picture of who that child can (and will) become in Christ. Next time you pray for a friend or colleague who needs the love of Christ, refuse to look at any hardness of heart or past mistakes. See instead the treasure within that person and the hope of his or her calling. In other words, pray positively, hopefully, expectantly, always with eyes on the power and promise of God. Cultivate your vision, and let it become a prayer that changes the world.

{Lord, your Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. May I always see the treasure and never the dirt around it. Empower me with heavenly visions and transforming prayers. Amen.