Vision or Pipe Dream?

Building People of Substance for Works of Power

July 25, 2025

And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.

Habakkuk 2:2 ESV 

“Pastor, the Lord has given me a big vision for… (fill in the blank).” I have heard variations of that sentence many times in the last 45 years. When I first started out, I would stop and listen, and try to “envision the vision,” so to speak. Many of the ideas were good, things that could help others and further the Gospel. I felt obligated to give some advice or encouragement. It soon dawned on me that most of these folks wanted me and the church to take  action on their idea.

One day, a lady came with a “vision” to help single young women who were pregnant and alone. Not a bad idea, but it was plain she really wanted me to do the work and then put her in charge. Out of my mouth came words of divine wisdom: “That’s wonderful! The Bible says that the first thing you must do is write it down so the rest of us can read it and understand it and act on it.” I never heard about it again. That became my standard response. In the last 40 years, only a few people have followed through.

When God gives you direction for your life or ministry, write it down. Until you write it down, it’s nothing more than a pipe dream. It’s devoid of substance. In our day, we don’t do much writing on stone or wooden tablets, so paper will do nicely. Writing forces you to express ideas in a coherent manner. Our thoughts are usually in fragments, not complete ideas. If you can’t write it, you don’t understand it. You won’t be able to effectively share it with others.

The reason you are writing it is “so he may run who reads it.” You will have to “make it plain on tablets” so that those God calls to help you can run based on what they read. God’s instructions to Habakkuk give us some good principles to follow. The phrase “make it plain” comes from the Hebrew word “ba’ar.” It means to engrave clearly, to explain distinctly, and to declare boldly. Here are a few ideas on how to do that:

• Meditate on it yourself until it is engraved on the tablet of your heart. Let it ooze out of your pores. When you talk about it, it should sound like it’s important to you, that it’s something you believe in and care about. When you share it, you’re not teaching a class, you’re sharing a passion. Paul used the word “impart” in Romans to let them know he was  coming to “impart” some spiritual gift. Your vision is like that. It’s something tangible to be shared with another. It’s not just an idea, it’s a mission. Vision is caught, not taught.
• Make it plain on tablets:
  • State it clearly. Be careful not to use “church-speak.” Use words that are meaningful to your audience, words they may actually use in their daily lives. After you write it, have someone else read it and tell you what it says. Try to recruit people who aren’t preachers. Keep rephrasing it until it conveys the meaning of the message God gave you in language that another person can easily understand.
  • Declare it boldly. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 14:8, “For if the trumpet sound uncertain, who will prepare for battle?” Remember, you have it from God. Say it with conviction! If you don’t care about the vision, why should others care?
  • Make it practical. If I read it, will I know what to do? Will I know how to run with it? (That’s a good standard for evaluating sermons, too!)
• The word “run” means to move hastily or to hurry. There are three possible interpretations of this phrase. All are reflected in different translations of the verse:
  • You should be able to quickly scan the page and get the message. It’s a billboard, not a novel. “… so that the message will be easy to read” (ERV).
  • They should know how to run, declaring the message accurately to others. “… so that a runner can carry the correct message to others”  (NLT).
  • They should know how to respond to the message. In Habakkuk’s case, the message was that the Chaldeans were coming to destroy the land. Their action could be to run for their lives! What actions does your vision call for? “… that he that reads it may run” (Brenton).

After you get it in your own heart, transfer it to paper, and hone it by trying it on others, it’s time to declare the vision to your intended audience. I believe in putting it on everything we print and repeating it frequently in every meeting. Connect new programs and events to the vision. As with most things, people don’t get it the first time they hear it. They may nod and smile, but that doesn’t mean they got it. Don’t be afraid to seem redundant.

Don’t get discouraged. Keep explaining it! The people who study advertising say that it takes anywhere from 5 to 20 exposures for the consumer to become aware, pay attention, understand and change behavior. We have the advantage of a (hopefully) attentive audience with the Holy Spirit in them, but they still rarely move on the first exposure. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing…” (Romans 10:17)

Be aware that not everyone will be excited about your vision. That’s okay. It’s not your job to nag them into submission. If they can’t hear it, then they may not be called to run with you. It’s not personal, so don’t get all riled up. God will bring the ones you need. Your job is to hear God, write it plain, and declare it boldly. God does the drawing. The power to fulfill the vision is in the word God gave, not in the vessel to whom He gave it.

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3 ESV

There are important principles that can help in that time of waiting between declaration and consummation. Don’t fret and don’t sweat, it will surely come! We’ll look at principles for waiting next time. Now go write.

Pastor Virgil

3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.

Tucson, AZ 85741

If you know someone who is struggling with setting up or changing the government of their church, here’s a helpful little book: “How to Run a Sheep Shed”.