What sorts of surprises might be waiting for us?.What might happen if we simply “set sail” and went?.We might find ourselves called to our own Macedonia.In the midst of the abundance of choices, what would it mean if we simply wondered how God is speaking to us? There are many ways we can spend our days, our energies, our efforts. Even when we are pursuing God’s plan for our lives, problems will happen and we will have to continue to learn to depend on God as our deliverer. Saying yes to God’s invitations won’t always be easy, and we may still face hardships along our way. Are there things we’re not supposed to do, or do we just not feel like it? Is it too intimidating or boring or “beneath us?” Even after the vision, Paul still had to figure out what he was supposed to do. The doing is always more complicated than it first appears. He was ready to respond when he received the vision to go into Macedonia. Not doing something left Paul free to do what God had in mind for him. God can get us to our Troas by whatever means He decides to use. A Macedonian man appeared to Paul in a dream with the urgent plea to come to Macedonia. In Troas God used another method of communicating His guidance to Paul. When the door to Paul’s plans was shut, Paul simply continued moving on to other centres in Galatia following his purpose of preaching Christ and his basic plan of reaching the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit trusts us more than we trust Him at times. When our purpose and long-range goals are clear and in agreement with God’s plans for our lives, we can trust our thinking and responses of our emotions. When we listen to the Holy Spirit He will tell us if our direction or decision is right or wrong. Paul’s love for God allowed him to hear God’s voice when it spoke to him, and his obedience allowed the gospel to spread in a powerful way. Paul set a good example for us to follow when he obeyed the words from this song: This time, God directed Paul to leave Asia Minor and go into Europe. Paul was sensitive enough to the Spirit of God that he could tell the difference between no and yes when it came to discerning God’s will-and he was obedient enough to respond to both. The Holy Spirit prevented Paul and his companions from going there. Paul was convinced that this was the next step in the strategy for reaching the Gentiles. The apostle Paul wanted to preach the Gospel in the Roman province of Asia, which extended to the coast of Greece. You have probably heard of the famous quote from the Scottish poet Robbie Burns that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” The evens in Acts 16:9-15 are a good example of this saying.
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