A glorious sunrise on Lake Superior.

By Tom Shanklin

“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Habakkuk 2:2, KJV.

God is interested in getting His vision inside of us, so that we may run with it. We need to discover the Lord’s vision for humanity. We need to learn about his priority and purposes, so that we can cooperate with that plan. God never intended to have a lethargic church that is wandering idly through life, wondering what to do, following the flesh, showing up when they feel like it, following the impulses of the flesh. No. His intent is to give us direction, purpose and power, to set us a part for his Holy eternal purposes. He’s looking for an army of disciples that will rise up and do His work in this hour.

God spoke that vision through the prophet, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14, KJV.

You see, God has a vision. He has a definite a plan. We may look at the world from our narrow perspective and see problems, weakness in the church, sickness, pain, wars, earthquakes, and it may register on our hearts as hopelessness. But God sees from the beginning to the end, and He says, “The whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. ”Often, we look at things with natural eyes, but the Father of spirits has a plan, and it will come to pass. God’s glory (His manifested presence) will fill the whole earth. It will fill India, and Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and the African continent, and China, and South America. It will fill the bars. It will fill the hospitals. It will fill the institutions of “higher learning.” God’s glory, and the knowledge of that glory will fill the earth.

That’s God’s vision. It will come to pass, but He told the prophet, Write it down, that he may run that reads it. Because, you see, the vision involves you. You must RUN with the vision. You’ve got to get it down in your heart and RUN with it, because you are the instrument of change in the earth. You are a carrier of the glory of God.

How is God’s glory going to fill the earth? Some have the idea that one day we’re going to wake up and the glory of God will be in the skies over us and it will saturate the atmosphere. It will just come upon us magically. But the truth is that the church of Jesus Christ will carry the glory into all the earth.

You see, Jesus died for our sins on Calvary’s tree 2000 years ago. He was buried, but death could not hold Him. He rose again from the dead incorruptible. He told His disciples. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20, KJV.

Then He ascended into heaven bodily, and poured out His Spirit. So the church, having received the forgiveness of sins through the cross, was now eligible to receive power and authority and glory from heaven. So, He poured out His Spirit on Pentecost, and that same Spirit is with us today. The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost have taken up residence within us as believers and we are carriers of this glory. When we walk into a store, God walks in that store. When we travel to a foreign land, God travels with us. When we walk about our house, God is walking.

We are to carry His presence and glory to a lost and dying world. Like Peter, who when he walked down the street people were healed. “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.” Acts 5:15, 16, KJV. Peters shadow was an emanation of the glory of God from his life. That is God’s plan for you and me, as well. As Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12, KJV.

In the Old Testament, God’s presence was contained in the arc of the covenant in the tabernacle in the wilderness. His glory was in the Holy of Holies. But today, we are the temple of God. God is living in us. And we are to carry Him out to a lost and dying world. This is not for our glory, it’s for His. The excellency is of God. “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:27, KJV.

The Bible tells us that Christ’s body, the church is “the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:23, KJV. So you see, the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. How? It shall be filled through the church, by people, by you! You see, we have an awesome privilege, an awesome responsibility. We are literally carrying God to a lost and lying world.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Ephesians 3:14-20, KJV.

God’s will for His church is that we would live every day filled with his presence and his glory, strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, filled with the fulness of God, that the love of Jesus would ooze out of our pores wherever we go. As we yield ourselves to His truth, His revelation and His will, we will see this come to pass, and the earth will be blessed and filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

Natural Israel failed to go up and possess the promised land that had been given to them by God. They saw the problems. They saw the giants. They saw their own weakness and inability. But they failed to account for the greatness of God. God was about to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation under Moses, but Moses interceded and God had mercy and spared them. But because of their unbelief, they were consigned to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. God told Moses he had heard his prayer and would spare the people. That’s when he said, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” Numbers 14:21, KJV.

God may encounter doubt and unbelief and unfaithfulness amongst his people, but nevertheless before Jesus returns and the end comes, He will have His way. His vision will be fulfilled. The earth shall be filled with His glory and you and I are part of that fulfillment. Our part is to carry His glory and preach His Gospel all around the world. He said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14, KJV. God’s plan will be fulfilled as we do our part.