Read Acts 16:6-15
“… having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” 6b
“That invasion of Europe was not on the mind of Paul, but it was evidently on the mind of the Spirit.”
Dr. Campbell Morgan
Some Thoughts…
How does the Lord lead us? It seems to me that many times in today’s Christian circles, God gets the blame for a lot of questionable things. I often hear people say, “The Lord told me to …” or “God gave me a word of wisdom about …”
I don’t know… I don’t want to quench the movement of the Spirit of the Most High, but I wonder… how does God lead us? I find comfort (and a little direction) from these verses. Here we have Paul and Silas being led by God in what seems to be some fairly practical ways. They attempt to enter the region of Asia, but were “kept” by the Holy Spirit in some way or circumstance. They couldn’t go that way and the recognized it as the leading of the Holy Spirit, so they moved on. Then the Spirit of Jesus (v7) wouldn’t allow them to cross other borders, so they moved on again. Then the “Macedonian Vision” (either a dream or maybe a person actually came to them at night… who knows!) Paul and Silas put it all together and now along with Dr. Luke (we know Luke is with them now in the story because the language changes form “them” to “we” – see v10) go preach the gospel in Macedonia. And the invasion of Europe begins!
No signs from Heaven, no star to follow, just circumstances and dreams put in the lives of the men of God, two men who were seeking truth and following their Master wherever He may lead. They simply paid attention to what was going on around them, kept their faith in Christ central to all they did … and somehow, God led them.
God led them because they trusted Him to lead. No matter the circumstances or the outcome (which would soon turn violent), they followed in faithful dependence on the very spiritually real presence of Jesus Himself (v7). God led them, and His purposes and plan were moved forward.
A Prayer…
Father, give me a disposition to listen and watch. Help me see with Spirit-filled faith-effectual eyes and divinely enhanced learning aids. Grant me wisdom from above and boldness from within to stand where many fall. Give me purity in my inner man, root out all fleshly desires that attempt to rule me and be King of my heart and soul. Lead on, Oh Great Jehovah, lead on! In Jesus Name, Amen