Devotions

Rev Gav

Sensitive

Acts 16.6–12a

Paul and Timothy went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.

Reflect

When I was much younger and had hair on my head instead of it sprouting out of my ears and nostrils (what’s all that about?), I hitch-hiked around Australia, New Zealand, and California in the United States. Across the trips I covered well over 50,000km! During that time, I learned to stop leaning on myself and trust in God. Each day my prayer was simple, “I will go wherever you want me to go and meet whomever you want me to meet. I place my trust in you.” Of course I had a general direction of travel, one I had chosen myself, but I was open to changing direction, and going ‘wherever the wind of the Spirit’ blew me, and this led to some amazing, God-inspired adventures!

Paul and Timothy were travelling to, and going wherever, the ‘wind of the Spirit’ blew them. Because they had placed their trust in God’s hands, if they were unable to enter a region such as Bithynia (by the Black Sea), then they assumed it was not God’s will that they go there. They were constantly sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, for both direction and purpose, therefore when Paul had a dream (whether a daydream or whilst asleep we don’t know), they were open to it meaning something — especially as the dream was pretty clear. They were being called to go to Macedonia.

I wonder if we have that same kind of expectation that God will direct us and give us purpose? We can get so engrossed in the physical world that we forget to tune in to the spiritual world. The truth is that we need to have both an ear to the ground and an ear to heaven. We need to listen and respond to the world around us and we need to listen and respond to God. This starts with a simple prayer each morning: “I will go wherever you want me to go and meet whomever you want me to meet. I place my trust in you.”

 

Pray

Holy God
Today, I place
my trust in you.
I will go wherever
you call me to go,
and meet whomever
you call me to meet.
May your Holy Spirit
guide me and direct me.
Use me for your
will and purpose
for I am yours.
This day and forever.