God's Vision for Us

Ancient Israel had a clear vision for itself--an understanding of what it wanted to be. Israel wanted to be a great nation like the other great kingdoms of the world, or in the words of Isaiah, "for the twelve tribes to be raised up." And ancient Israel assumed that God shared this vision. Ancient Israel assumed that God had the same vision for Israel, and that God was acting to bring Israel's vision to fruition.

As it turns out, Isaiah revealed that God had a greater vision for Israel--God wanted Israel to be the instrument through which God's light would be revealed to all the world and the instrument through which God's salvation would be proclaimed. God did not perceive Himself as Israel's instrument to bring about Israel's vision. Instead, God perceived Israel as God's instrument to bring about God's vision

We have a vision for ourselves and what we want to be. Invariably, our vision for ourselves is limited and, frankly, boring. God has a vision for us and for our lives; God's vision is that we become God's instruments of God's vision. It is greater and more marvelous than the vision that we have for ourselves. God does not see Himself as the instrument to bring about our vision for ourselves, but sees us as the instrument through which we bring about God's vision. God's vision has always been, is, and always will be about bringing light to the world and effecting the world's salvation. This vision was brought to fruition in Jesus, the Word made flesh.