I entered this year with a familiar prayer. “Lord, I need a vision. And it needs to be Yours.” I understand myself well enough to know that if I don’t have a vision, I’ll live passively, waiting for things to happen. Sometimes, they do, but it’s much better to live with direction and hope. And the only way to do that is with a strong vision of where I’m headed.
An old translation of Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Most translations today say something like “the people are unrestrained” or “cast off restraint.” Either way, a lack of God-given vision is a severe, life-limiting handicap. If you live your life without one, you lose heart. And you might even get to the end and wonder what your life was all about.
Pray for vision this year — not just any vision, but one that comes from God. Your own vision may or may not be fulfilled or even fitting to your personality and gifts. His vision for you is perfect. Ask Him to fill you with it, to write it on your heart, to keep it in front of you and use it to pull you forward into His good purposes. He is far more interested in your future than you are, and He fully intends to guide you into it.