Purpose in Frustration

Day 175: Acts 15:36-41, 16:1-15

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” - Acts 16:9-10 ESV

As Paul and Barnabas made plans to run it back for a Second Missionary Journey, they couldn't agree on what to do with John Mark. This caused them to multiply into two efforts and led to new partnerships for Paul with Silas and a young gun named Timothy.

Because we are flawed and constantly distracted, God has to go to great lengths to guide and direct our steps. This was true with the paths Paul had thought Jesus wanted him to walk, but the "Spirit of the Lord did not allow" them to go into certain places. This is odd language, but it speaks to the care God puts into helping us know where we're supposed to serve.

The call (at this point) was to go to Macedonia. Paul's time there would be significant in many ways. For one, Philippi and Thessalonica were there, and both ended up receiving letters that we still benefit from today. Plus, despite their poverty, the Macedonian churches were insanely generous (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Have your plans not gone as you expected? As Christians, we have to believe that there is purpose in that frustration. God is always speaking, continually leading. May we respond to the calls He places on our lives.

"Luke wishes to make quite clear that this action was taken on the basis of divine guidance. It was not based on mere human desires or interests." - Witherington, B., III. (1998). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 480)