View postActs 16:6-10
In this passage Paul ran smack into a divine roadblock. It is most likely that Paul intended to go to Ephesus and establish a base camp from there. That was a logical plan since Ephesus was a hub of commerce and communication for the region of Asia. Any strategically minded church planter would have made the same choice. God had different plans for Paul. Instead of allowing Paul to take the logical path to successful ministry, God forced Paul to take a detour into the unlikely city of Troas a couple hundred miles to the north. Troas?!? What in the world could Paul accomplish from there? That plan didn’t make any sense. It didn’t make sense, that is, until Paul saw a vision of a Macedonian man calling to him, beckoning him to cross the Aegean Sea and share the gospel with the people of Macedonia. Fortunately for us, and for Paul, he was obedient to the calling of the Holy Spirit and he altered his plans and entered into the region of Macedonia.
Imagine if he had not made this step of faith. He would not have met Lydia. He would not have led the Philippian jailer to salvation. He would not have spoken to the philosophers on Mars Hill. He would not have become friends with Aquilla and Priscilla. Had he been left to his own plan, as strategic as it was, he may have far undershot the scope of his ministry.
Isn’t that how God often deals with us? We are so good at making plans. We are going to do this and that by such and such a date. We are going to do great things for God that will set the world on fire! And yet, many times (let’s be honest) these plans are made out of our own desires and our own strength and wisdom. How many times do we stop, pray, fast, and listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit to see if He is telling us to go to Troas instead of Ephesus? Often times, in God’s economy, He asks us to take the least likely path. The question is, are we willing to sacrifice our plans, as noble as they may seem, and sacrifice our reputation, to follow the road to Troas?
Spend some time asking God if you are on the path He has laid out for you or if you have been bulldozing your way through the roadblocks He has been setting up along your current path.
