One of my favorite scriptures is Habakkuk 2:2. I love all of the versions but I think that the Contemporary English Version says it best. “Then the Lord told me: “I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. At the time I have decided my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting—it will happen!”

Last weekend my husband and I decided to put this verse into action. We decided to take some time away from our normal environment and normal routine to have a vision retreat. We decided that this would be a time not only to plan for Cassie Reid Counseling, but also to plan for our lives on a personal level for 2012. All of this came minutes after hearing a message by Pastor Robert Morris at Gateway Church on asking for the heart of God for yourself and your future. He discussed how so many times we say, “Let your will be done” to the Lord but then don’t even ask for what we want. The best part about this is that we have every right to ask for what we want. My husband and I did just this while we were away. We spent some time asking the Lord for specifics, things that we have been dreaming, planning, and talking about for a long time. We did just what it said in Habakkuk, we wrote it down very precisely and very detailed so that no matter who reads it, they will know our intent and our plan for this next year.

I will tell you that in just one week we have already seen some of the things we have asked for starting to come about. We have seen movement in areas where we have felt stuck and we have seen provision for things that we never dreamed possible. I say all of this to encourage you to have your own vision retreat. Whether it is getting out of town or just getting out of your house with your journal, either way you can gain vision and purpose for 2012. It is so important to have a vision for your life, it gives you a goal and something to strive to achieve. Proverbs 29:18 (MSG) “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed.” I can attest to this scripture, when I lose sight of what God is doing and what God has done in my life, I begin to falter, question, and worry that things are out of control.

So what are some things you are asking for this year? What are some areas of your life that you want to be different in 2012? I encourage you to take some time, whether an hour or a day, writing them down and asking the Lord for direction. I assure you that if you do this now, by the end of this year you will see how much has been accomplished.