THE POWER OF VISION
-by Dr. John Tetsola

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:11

And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Judges 7:25

When people become confident in the leader, they become confident in the vision. Gideon was an unlikely leader. He certainly did not see himself as a leader. We gain insight into his image of himself by observing his reaction to the angel’s proclamation that he would be Israel’s instrument of deliverance from the Midianites. After the angel spoke, Gideon responded, “…O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Jdg. 6:15, NKJV). Despite Gideon’s doubts, God used him. The people rallied around him and he became the leader of the most lopsided victory in the history of Israel. Why? Because he had a vision. The power of vision is manifested in four processes:

• First, it provides leaders with awareness. This deals with the ability to see. Leaders have to see the vision first; otherwise they will never be able to help the people see it. Gideon understood what his role was to be before anyone else did.

• Second, it produces leaders with attitude. This deals with the faith to believe. It’s one thing to possess the vision of what could happen; but it’s another to believe that you can make it happen. Initially, Gideon had a very difficult time believing that he could free his countrymen from the Midianites, but the angel helped him to overcome his doubt.

• Third, it produces action. This deals with the courage to do. If moving from seeing to believing is a big step, then finding the courage to act on your belief is even bigger. Gideon had such a hard time with this phase that he put out a fleece to test God. Yet God graciously reassured Gideon and he moved forward.

• Finally, it produces achievement. This deals with the hope and power to endure. Once a leader begins moving forward, his troubles have just begun. It takes perseverance to turn action into achievement. By the time Gideon faced huge obstacles, the people were firmly behind him. The gift of the leader to the people is the vision that he has. The gift of the people to the leader is the fulfillment of that vision. That is why God always puts the leader and the people together. But before the people are willing to follow and make the dream a reality, they have to buy into the leader, and that requires good leadership.