Vision: God Works From the Whole to the Particular by Graham Cooke

Vision gives us a spectacular view of God’s perception for us and around us. Every hindrance in front of us must be overwhelmed by the majesty within our hears. A problem can never be bigger than the Lordship of Christ. Barriers are designed to teach us to overcome. Obstructions are meant to kill off the skeptic in all of us.

The Lordship of Jesus gives us an unshakeable, unbreakable confidence in His ability to keep His Word and fulfill His promise. The eyes of our heart need to be opened by the radiance of His own glory so that we can know by experience the full expectation of His goodness and glory towards us. Vision enables us to come to terms with the greatness of our inheritance. The provision of wisdom and revelation is so powerful that our experience of God can be moved from glory to glory (Ephesians 1:17–20).

Vision allows us redemption from the temporal things of this world into the eternal dimension of the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 4:18). We become present/future in our spiritual approaches to life. We understand as did Jesus, that: “A time is coming and even now is.” (John 4:23; 5:25.) A path opens up before us as we adopt a present life, into the future relationship that it will become. The future begins today!

God always works from the whole to the particular. Big picture to the smallest detail. To childless Abraham the Lord gives a vision of a great multitude of people that he will father. More than he could possibly ever count. Typical extravagant God. A man is praying for a heir in his family line and the Lord makes him not just a nation but a Father of nations. The promise given to him far exceeds anything that he can handle by himself.

Genesis 12:1–3

1Now the LORD had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,

From your family and from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you.

2I will make you a great nation;


I will bless you and make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

3I will bless those who bless you,


And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abraham was 75 years old at this time. Several years later he had another dialogue with God about the promise. Abraham is still childless and does not want to contemplate leaving his inheritance to someone who is not a blood relative. The promise of God is re-spoken over him in Genesis 15:1–6.

When he was 99 years old God was still talking about the promise. The encounter with God’s promise was so powerful Abraham fell on his face (Genesis 17). Abraham wondered how a guy who was nearly 100 could possibly father a child.

The vision was fulfilled at a time when all the conditions meant that it was impossible. Sarah was way past the time of childbearing and thought the whole thing was a joke (Genesis 18:11–12). The skeptic in her needed to be upgraded. The following year they had a son and heir. We have to overcome the obstacles in ourselves to stay present/future regarding God’s intentions for us.

In 1986 I received three visionary encounters regarding a future event in a church that I would be part of, where the value for God’s Presence would be so strong that He would involve Himself within the worship of that house.

Apostolic worship would be so profound that Heaven would open in the meetings and angels would interact in adoration. From that community would come a Corporate Man anointing that would rise up and police the heavens. For twenty-five years now I have been gripped by this same vision. I have come close on one occasion but other things get in the way.

My life in church is defined by this vision and the importance of it in a regional setting. A quarter of a century after the first encounter I am still in awe of what I felt and saw on those days. I am consumed by it still. It has a hold on me and I cannot let go of it. I’m looking for it, building towards it, fighting to engage with it. Somewhere, there is such a people, and I will find them. My life depends on it. Twenty-five years is nothing. Just slightly less than half my life. I’m still seeking it with all my heart, no matter the disappointments encountered. That’s God’s vision, it never leaves you and always defines you.