Acts 16: 6-15
6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.
9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
In today’s passage of scripture we witness Paul and Silas follow a three-step process in following the Lord: pray and wait for direction, receive direction, enjoy the process of following the directions. Let’s address the third step of this equation.
First, notice how patient these men were as they waited on the Lord for direction; the Holy Spirit told them not to enter Asia, the Spirit of Jesus did not let them enter Bithynia, so they didn’t. They never forced the issue or traveled where they weren’t supposed to go.
Finally, as these men waited for direction, Paul had a vision that inspired them to travel to Macedonia. They left immediately. It would have been easy for these missionaries to rush by every person and community on their path so that they could get to Macedonia as soon as possible. But that didn’t happen because every step in their journey was ministry.
Verses 11-15 describe an encounter with Lydia that brought unexpected blessings on their journey. Notice how Paul and Silas went out of their way and followed the Lord’s leading: “On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.” (v.13). No vision told Paul or Silas to go to this riverbank and the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus weren’t telling these men not to go (as in verses 6-7). So why did they go?
Whether you are getting your drivers’ license, competing in sports or graduating from school, beware of the temptation to see things through tunnel vision. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to accomplish something that you don’t enjoy the process of learning how to be a safe driver, how to be a good teammate or gain knowledge. Be sure to wait on the Lord’s direction and enjoy every step of faithfulness.
Youth Department