THE BIRTH OF A VISION

“God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision; and

it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way.” (Oswald Chambers)

God is allowing the testing… the battering, to mold our character into His:

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or

fall into various temptations.

“Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfast-

ness and patience.

“But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may

be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4 – Ampli-

fied)

Observe the birthing of a calf, or the metamorphose of a moth into a butterfly. Painful.

Battering.

The temptation is to intervene and stop the uneasy proceeding. But we need to understand

God’s battering process and allow it to go on to completion.

Beauty and maturity often emerge from pain:

“Let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work. So that you may

be people perfectly and fully developed with no defects, lacking in nothing.”

This is God’s school in preparing you, the visionary, to carry out the vision. In God’s school

there are no shortcuts. The process produces the product.

So, fellow pilgrim, in your valley, don’t faint and give way until He completes His task in you.