Vision: Day 3

Devotion by: Gale Bobzien

Joel 2:28-29

Then afterwards
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

As a little girl, I used to dream of traveling to far away places. One of the exotic places I had read about was Java. Who would have thought that this Iowa farm girl would one day travel to Java and spend a couple weeks there on business just months before the tsunami? As I prepare to travel to another foreign destination, I am reminded how some of our dreams come true while others may not.

God’s visions, on the other hand, are as sure as his promises. In today’s reading, the prophet Joel tells us:

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

And your young men shall see visions.

Those words are repeated by Peter in Acts 2:16-18. According to notes in the Life Application Study Bible, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit predicted by Joel occurred on Pentecost. Just as the promised Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus, so also the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled.

King David, although not a prophet like Joel, was a man of a vision. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. God let David know that he was not the one; the temple would be built by his son, Solomon. But that did not deter David. He planned; he prepared; he provided building materials. His vision, planning, and foresight benefited others and came to fruition during the reign of his son, King Solomon. May we so share our visions for the benefit of others.

PRAYER: Gracious and merciful God, we thank you for sending your Son to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. We thank you for giving us dreams and visions, knowing that we are not limited by the present. Help us to use our God-given vision in the service of Your people. Guide our congregation in its vision of turning silver to gold as we plan, prepare, and provide. This we pray in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus the Christ. Amen.