Acts 16:6-15
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Reflection
This is a story of Paul’s second missionary journey. The missionary journeys of Paul are often found on Biblical maps in the backs of most Bibles. From these maps some people might conclude that Paul’s journeys were un-organized or spontaneous but from what we see in the book of Acts this is not the truth. God is at work the whole time guiding Paul to where God’s transformative love is already at work. Because God is already at work, Paul gets involved with people like Lydia. God opens her heart to Paul’s message and Lydia becomes a great help to the mission of Jesus Christ. The key is to stay in contact with where God is calling us so that we can join God in His transformational work. How do you seek God’s heart to know God’s will for your ministry?
