There’s a delicate balance between vision and provision.

Vision is the destination, and provision is the support needed to get there (“pro-” means to support or make a way for something).

Vision tells us where to go, but provision keeps us going.

The balance between the two is key because we don’t do well with long-term thinking without short term progress.

In 2 Peter 3, the apostle Peter addresses this topic. 

There were people in the Church who had decided that Jesus wasn’t coming back to get his people. 

These people had trouble holding onto the long-term vision and decided that short-term satisfaction was more important. 

You and I have the same short-sighted tendencies, by the way. 

So what does Peter say about these people? He says they abandoned the vision because they had forgotten.

They had failed to remember all the times that God delivered on his promises.

He reminds his readers that all throughout history God has worked in his own timing and delivered in his own way. But God has always, always delivered. 

He also reminds his readers that to God, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.

Peter is begging for his reader to have perspective. And the key to having perspective is to remember.

If we’ll deliberately remember what God has already done, we’ll see what Peter saw – that God delays his promises not because he’s mean or unfaithful, but because he’s patient. 

He knows that you and I need time and space to work things out. 

He’s patient because he loves us and doesn’t want anyone to perish. 

Rushing God’s promise can tear us apart because we’re not ready.

This is tough to remember when you’re looking at your immediate needs and wants.

If you’re working on a project that you feel God has given you vision for, it’s tempting to look at other paths that offer immediate gains.

But remember that wherever God has promised something, he has always provided, and he’ll continue to do so. 

Stay the course, fight the distractions, and stay in step with the vision.