A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.11 So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi. Acts 16:9–12a [note writer Luke includes himself in the group]
Meandering west from Antioch, the churches being strengthened by the council’s letter and growing daily, Paul and Silas would soon welcome aboard new team members, the highly touted Timothy, and the indispensable physician Luke. They then would make “unsuccessful” forays into Asia to the south and Bithynia to the north, leaving them staring at the sea in Troas. Their next move would be revealed by way of a vision to leader Paul, that Europe would be their next destination.
You might say it would be nice to not have to fly blind, to have the Spirit guiding you each step of the way, but is this kind of guidance only available to First Century mission teams? We might grow frustrated when all our options are foreclosed, but is this not the way God works? Was the vision really necessary to set sail? Couldn’t Paul have turned to his men and said, “Well guys, I guess we’re going to Europe!”
At this critical juncture, God wanted to firmly establish who had and would continue to call the shots. Paul would later write,
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14
The important thing seems to be to always keep moving forward in expectant anticipation and prayer. The life of a Christian should be marked by an ongoing conversation with the Lord as to what should be our next step!
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