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"So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them."
(Acts 16:8-10)
Green light? Yes! Yesterday, we talked about how God sometimes gives us red lights in life. These are clearly times when God tells us no. We may not like it and may even think God is mistaken, but we must heed His voice, because God is way smarter than us! He sees the big picture. His view is unobstructed unlike our own. We see only what is before us. Our spiritual vision is often blurred, but with God, there are no blind spots or hidden things; He sees all.
God closed doors for Paul and Silas on their missionary journey. They were prevented from going either west or north. Why was that? God gave a red light because He was soon about to give a green one. He wanted them to go northwest toward Europe all along. Luke does not elaborate on how God closed the doors, but He does explain how God opened the door to Macedonia. Verse 8 says they came to Troas, and while at Troas, two very important things happened. One, Paul received a vision from God of a man of Macedonia pleading with them to come and help them. The verb for "pleaded" is parakaleo, which means to call alongside. It is in the present tense, meaning, the man kept on pleading with Paul in this vision. The verb "help" is bontheo, which means to aid or relieve. It is in the imperative mood. He is commanding Paul to come and help relieve the spiritual darkness. Two, after the vision, an interesting word is used: "we". This is the first "we" usage in the book of Acts. At this point, Luke joins the missionary team. They wasted no time and left immediately. They acted with alacrity and willingness and headed toward Macedonia.
The word "concluding" is sumbibazo, which means to knit together or coalesce. God brought this team together, and the timing was now right. They concluded that the Lord called them, and this verb is in the perfect tense; God called, and the calling would continue. The Lord called them to Macedonia, to do what? He called them to preach the Gospel, euaggelizo, to evangelize, or share Christ.
While studying this text I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. John Mark was not supposed to be on this trip, but Timothy was. And Luke was not in Ephesus in the west or Bithynia in the north. He was in Troas. God knew exactly what He was doing all along!
But why did God make them wait, and why all the dead ends, detours, and changes of plans? I am not sure, but I do know God has a purpose, and He wastes no difficulty on His children. He sees all and knows more than we do. And there are times in our spiritual walks where it is not so much about the destination as it is the journey.
I am praying for you that you will trust God and not so much try to figure God out. He calls the shots, and we follow His lead. He loves you and has only the best in store for you. Trust Him, and when He gives you the green light, proceed with much joy and anticipation!
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