Sometimes, it must have seemed rather confusing. As the people of Israel were going through the desert, seemingly in the direction of the Promised Land, they had to wonder if God really knew what He was doing. They would be moving along for awhile, then, they would just stop...and wait. No reason, no explanation, just "wait here." I know what that always means when I do it. I'm lost! It doesn't matter how much I protest that I am just wanting to be sure, everyone in the car knows, "Dad doesn't have any idea where we are. We are lost!"
Do you ever have those times in your walk when you feel like God is lost? Seriously, does it seem like sometimes He doesn't know what He's doing or where He's going? Of course, we would never say that and we would adamantly proclaim that we trust God, but we secretly want to take Him aside and ask if He needs our help. After all, we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go and how to get there. Why doesn't He ask for our help?
I have been going through one of those times. Everything seemed to be pointing in the direction I was headed, and then, it was like the road just ended. I couldn't move. I couldn't go forward, as I was sure the Lord didn't want me to go any further; or if He did, He wasn't making it possible. I couldn't back up; because that seemed contrary to everything that had happened up to this point. I was certain God had led me here; but just like my kids, I want to know, "Why are we stopping?"
Paul and his companions had one of those moments, actually two...in a row. They were on a roll. In Acts 16, Luke writes that as they traveled from town to town, delivering their message, "the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." They had to be feeling it. I'm sure they were all pumped about where they were going and what they were doing. God seemed to be in all they were doing. Then, we read in v. 5 that they were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia." That may have left them a little confused, but they probably figured, God has a reason. He probably didn't think much would be accomplished by going there. But, hadn't God led them in that direction? No, their GPS must have malfunctioned, or someone wasn't listening too closely when He was giving them directions, or maybe they had just made a wrong turn. No problem, we are back on track and headed to Bithynia. And, it happened again.
"As they tried to enter Bithynia, the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." "Why are we stopping?" Everybody most likely turned to Paul looking for direction. It was one thing for them not to know, but surely Paul had heard from the Lord. "Why are we stopping?" Awkward. Paul was looking at his map, rubbing his chin, mumbling to himself, or was he praying? They all waited for him to respond. But, he didn't seem to have anything to say. Sitting at the camel re-fueling station, Paul got off his camel and was talking to the attendant, showing him the map. So, he was lost.
But, when Paul returned, there was no explanation as to why they had stopped. They merely re-calculated their camel's GPS and headed a different direction. Can you imagine the campfire discussions that evening. "Paul, where are we going? Did we make a wrong turn? Are you and Jesus still friends?" Paul didn't have much to say. That night, he slept fitfully. And, in the middle of the night, he had a vision. That vision ultimately led Paul and his companions to Macedonia and to Philippi, a leading city of that colony. And the rest, as Paul (Harvey) would later say, "is history."
Though I can't find it in Scripture, I have shared with individuals on many occasions, "God plans the stops of a good man as well as the steps." I believe it. I don't like it, but I believe it. I don't always agree with it. I often feel like we are losing momentum. We need to keep going. I don't want to be late. I don't want to miss anything. Mostly, I can't figure out what to do with myself if I am moving in some direction. Sometimes, God just wants us to rest. Sometimes, He wants us to learn to be patient and to trust. Other times, there are things going on behind the scenes that we just don't know about, but God does and all He wants us to do is wait, until everything is ready, everything is in place, and then it will be time to act.
This takes great discernment on our parts, and trust. We may want to blame ourselves and think it is because of something that we have done; and if that is how you feel, it is a good idea to check with the Big Guy upstairs and ask Him if you and He are still good. Sometimes, there is something for us to get out of stopping. Other times, there is no rhyme or reason to us; but, we have to trust God. We need to remind ourselves that all our times are in His hands. He will let us know when it is time to move. For now, enjoy the scenery.
Godspeed, Phil
Do you ever have those times in your walk when you feel like God is lost? Seriously, does it seem like sometimes He doesn't know what He's doing or where He's going? Of course, we would never say that and we would adamantly proclaim that we trust God, but we secretly want to take Him aside and ask if He needs our help. After all, we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go and how to get there. Why doesn't He ask for our help?
I have been going through one of those times. Everything seemed to be pointing in the direction I was headed, and then, it was like the road just ended. I couldn't move. I couldn't go forward, as I was sure the Lord didn't want me to go any further; or if He did, He wasn't making it possible. I couldn't back up; because that seemed contrary to everything that had happened up to this point. I was certain God had led me here; but just like my kids, I want to know, "Why are we stopping?"
Paul and his companions had one of those moments, actually two...in a row. They were on a roll. In Acts 16, Luke writes that as they traveled from town to town, delivering their message, "the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." They had to be feeling it. I'm sure they were all pumped about where they were going and what they were doing. God seemed to be in all they were doing. Then, we read in v. 5 that they were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia." That may have left them a little confused, but they probably figured, God has a reason. He probably didn't think much would be accomplished by going there. But, hadn't God led them in that direction? No, their GPS must have malfunctioned, or someone wasn't listening too closely when He was giving them directions, or maybe they had just made a wrong turn. No problem, we are back on track and headed to Bithynia. And, it happened again.
"As they tried to enter Bithynia, the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." "Why are we stopping?" Everybody most likely turned to Paul looking for direction. It was one thing for them not to know, but surely Paul had heard from the Lord. "Why are we stopping?" Awkward. Paul was looking at his map, rubbing his chin, mumbling to himself, or was he praying? They all waited for him to respond. But, he didn't seem to have anything to say. Sitting at the camel re-fueling station, Paul got off his camel and was talking to the attendant, showing him the map. So, he was lost.
But, when Paul returned, there was no explanation as to why they had stopped. They merely re-calculated their camel's GPS and headed a different direction. Can you imagine the campfire discussions that evening. "Paul, where are we going? Did we make a wrong turn? Are you and Jesus still friends?" Paul didn't have much to say. That night, he slept fitfully. And, in the middle of the night, he had a vision. That vision ultimately led Paul and his companions to Macedonia and to Philippi, a leading city of that colony. And the rest, as Paul (Harvey) would later say, "is history."
Though I can't find it in Scripture, I have shared with individuals on many occasions, "God plans the stops of a good man as well as the steps." I believe it. I don't like it, but I believe it. I don't always agree with it. I often feel like we are losing momentum. We need to keep going. I don't want to be late. I don't want to miss anything. Mostly, I can't figure out what to do with myself if I am moving in some direction. Sometimes, God just wants us to rest. Sometimes, He wants us to learn to be patient and to trust. Other times, there are things going on behind the scenes that we just don't know about, but God does and all He wants us to do is wait, until everything is ready, everything is in place, and then it will be time to act.
This takes great discernment on our parts, and trust. We may want to blame ourselves and think it is because of something that we have done; and if that is how you feel, it is a good idea to check with the Big Guy upstairs and ask Him if you and He are still good. Sometimes, there is something for us to get out of stopping. Other times, there is no rhyme or reason to us; but, we have to trust God. We need to remind ourselves that all our times are in His hands. He will let us know when it is time to move. For now, enjoy the scenery.
Godspeed, Phil
No comments:
Post a Comment