One of my very favorite stories in the bible is found in Genesis, chapter 15–the story of Abram. Remember that one? God shows Abram a vision about his future. Let’s look at that passage together:
Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Genesis 15:1-6, NLT)
You know why I love this story so much? Because God really knows how to get his message across.
Rather than just say, “Your heir isn’t going to be Eliezer. You will have many descendants,” God shows Abram just how many thousands of heirs he will have by taking him outside of the tent and directing his focus to the numerous stars in the night sky.
Wow.
Now that’s an image that would stick with you, isn’t it? But notice this–God had to get Abram outside of the tent to show him the amazing future he had for Abram. You know why? Because Abram had “tent vision,” and the reason I know this is because I’ve had tent vision a few times in my life, too.
Sometimes our vision is so limited that we can’t see all of the amazing things that God has planned for us. If that sounds familiar, you may have a case of “tent vision” yourself.
Here’s the good news. All you have to do is follow God’s leading and be brave enough to walk outside the comfort of your tent, and you can get a clear view of all that God has in store for you. Don’t be limited by what you can see, let God show you what he sees instead.
In fact, I challenge you to go outside tonight and do a little stargazing of your own. Take it all in and pray this:
Father, I am so in awe of all that you’ve created and the beauty of the night sky. And, Lord, when I look up at the night sky, I am reminded of Abram’s story and how you performed an absolute miracle in his life.
I know you are no respecter of persons, but only a respecter of faith, so God I believe that you can and will perform a miracle in my life. I want to walk in all that you have for me, and I declare tonight that I no longer have tent vision but I am seeing my future through your eyes.
In the Mighty Name of your Son, Jesus, Amen.
