Many years ago, I started seeing great photographs of New England scenery, like beautiful vistas of the ocean and full shots of lighthouses.  Then I went to the ocean and tried to take pictures like that myself. I looked at the printed photographs later on and realized that none of mine had the glory of the professional ones in the glossy travel magazines.   Even with a better camera, I was unable to capture the glorious seacoast views as I wanted to. 

Then one day it hit me: I was not positioned up high enough to take in the view.  Those photos were taken from aircraft.  My photos were low, ground-level shots—flat, featureless, unsatisfying.  I was at the shore, but all I could photograph was long, boring stretches of sand and sea.  To take the photos that I wanted I needed a different vantage point. I needed to view New England’s seacoast from up above, not from within it. 

It was all a matter of my vantage point.

Visitors to this beautiful corner of America observe from a horizontal view—majestic mountains, classic architecture, and the inhabitants—but not from above.  From God’s point of view, far above such a view, He sees a region in desperate need of repentance, belief, and a return to vibrant, personal relationships with their creator. 

From God’s vantage point, New England is ready for revival. He sees the need for biblical truth to be preached from the pulpit. He sees people that He loves and desires to deliver from the bondage of this world to eternal life. He sees a land, settled long ago by faithful believers, that needs to return to its heritage—the truth of God’s word.

God takes his picture of New England from His vantage point and calls it beautiful—but He desires to call its people to himself.