The first stage of the Psalms of Ascent is the stage of vision. There are three aspects to the vision we must have in following the Lord. Each aspect is crucial and necessary. We need to have a vision concerning:

• the world
  
• the Lord
  
• the church life
  

This vision is three-dimensional. If any one of us is lacking in any one of these three aspects, our growth and our progress will not be so healthy.

Many who have been among us once loved the Lord but eventually went back to the world. This doesn't necessarily mean that they didn't enjoy the church life. They may have enjoyed the church life, but they didn't have a vision concerning the world. In other words, they didn't see through the world. They didn't realize its true nature. The world can become very tempting and attractive to those who love the Lord. This is why we must have a clear vision concerning the world.

Furthermore, many of us love the Lord and love the church life, but are not able to go on buoyantly. We go forward a little bit, but then become afraid. Some of us here are around the age of thirty-five.

As we approach thirty-five it is easy to consider, "Is the Lord really that trustworthy?"

Thirty-five is a crucial age, because the Bible says that a man's normal life expectancy is around seventy. This means that thirty-five is a half-way mark. As we approach thirty-five it is easy to consider, "Is the Lord really that trustworthy?" If someone were to say, "Don't believe in the Lord," we would say, "No, I have to believe in Him." But then if someone were to say, "You must trust the Lord in full," we would wonder, "But is the Lord really able to care for me?" Some in the church life who loved the Lord when they were young gradually "migrated" from the kingdom of God to the kingdom of Satan in their daily life. Why? Because their vision was not so clear concerning the Lord. They didn't have the full realization of who Christ is.

Finally, some Christians see that the world is empty and that the Lord is trustworthy, but they miss the vision of the church. They just cannot enjoy the church life. For this reason they cannot go on healthily and properly. This is why, in the first stage of the Psalms of Ascent, there are three psalms to show us three aspects of our vision. At the beginning of our Christian life we need a vision concerning the world. We need to see that the world is vanity and emptiness. Then we also need to see who our Lord really is, so that we will give ourselves to Him and fully trust in Him. Finally, we need to see the church, so that our life can be filled with enjoyment. Psalms 120-122 are concerning these three aspects of our vision.

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To purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs