Visionary Leadership (3)
O God, when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Psalm 68.7, 8
Bible times and our times
I get the impression that some Christians think there are two kinds of history, two kinds of time.
First, there is Bible time, and Bible history. Things happened in the Bible that were unique, and that we don’t expect to see happen in normal time and history, where we live, you know, today. Things like God doing extraordinary acts of deliverance, help, and support, or extraordinary empowerments for witness or service. Like Moses leading the people out of Egypt, or Joshua leading them to subdue the land of promise, or David leading an entire nation to build a glorious temple for the Lord. That was then, many Christians seem to think; this is now.
But when we think this way, we may be cutting ourselves off from one of the most powerful resources for visionary leadership: the promise of the past.
David understood the power of the past to enlist people in the ongoing story of God’s covenant. We can learn from him how to make the most of our long and vast heritage as the people of God.
God’s work in the past
In Psalm 68 David is trying to rally the people of Israel to take up the challenge of building a glorious temple for the Lord. He knows that, unless the whole nation gets involved, he will not be able to fulfill the vision and plan God gave Him for honoring the Lord and blessing His people.
So in pointing the people forward to the work they needed to do, he first pointed them backwards in time to the work God had already accomplished through His people. The first part of Psalm 68 addresses God’s work in and through His people under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. God, Who rides the clouds and rules the rains, came to be with His people in the Wilderness, where He sustained them and made them and the land ready for their ultimate conquest (vv. 4-9).
David includes in this recounting a warning against those who fail to trust the Lord and follow His will when he writes, “He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land” (v. 6). Those who rebelled against God’s plans for His people died in the Wilderness, while those who obeyed and served achieved prosperity and freedom.
Next, David briefly recalls the conquest of the land of promise, when all the kings of Canaan were scattered and God’s people occupied their lands together with the Lord (vv. 11-16). Look, David is saying, remember what God has done in the past. Nothing is impossible for Him. No vision is too grand, no project too daunting. He has revealed His will and called us to obey, and we have every reason to expect that He will accomplish what He has appointed for us.
The past as promise
David insisted there was a straight line from Moses to Joshua to him and his generation. The God Who worked for their forebears would work for them according to His revealed purposes and will. That’s as true today as it was in David’s day.
Visionary leaders understand that God has done remarkable, nearly incredible things in the past, and they reach back and recall those mighty works of God in order to encourage His people in the present. They recognize that the straight line of the covenant continues from Scripture through Church history right down to our day. Our time and history is not distinct from but continuous with the time and history of Scripture.
And all of Church history. Throughout the period of Christian history what God has accomplished in, for, and through His people is nothing short of amazing. Millions have been converted to Christ. Revivals have broken out with powerful effects. Nations have been transformed. Empires have submitted to the rule of King Jesus. In every field of endeavor Christians have made innovations and contributions which continue to redound to the wellbeing of people everywhere. This record and archive constitute a rich resource for moving the people of God to action in our day.
Our secular opponents would like for us to believe there is a difference between Bible times and our times. They want us to think, if we must think about God at all, that He has confined His most powerful working to the stories of the Bible, and He has no power or right to intervene or interfere in our present. We may believe in Him if we choose, but we must not suppose that He can be invoked for any mighty works in our times. That was then; this is now.
But visionary leaders like David know otherwise, and they will marshal as many as possible of the resources of our Christian past to inform, inspire, instruct, and engage the citizens of God’s Kingdom today.
For reflection or discussion
1. What are some reasons Christians should know more about the Christian past?
2. How can the works of God in Scripture and Church history help us understand better what He is calling us to do?
3. What can you do to begin learning more about the promise of the past?
Next steps–Preparation: Seek the Lord for a plan to learn more from Scripture about the promise of the past.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues an extensive look at the Kingdom of God from our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the sermon on the mount. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
