Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us (Acts 16:6-10)

Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us (Acts 16:6-10)

       
Are you going according to your plan?
You make a plan for your future, but more often than not you find yourself far away from your plan. But, this is nothing wrong as long as you live faithfully to yourself and you are sensitive to God's instructions.

John Calvin, founder of the Presbyterian Church, was expelled from Paris as he sticked to his reforming faith. He was heading for Strassbourg, yet he should make a detour because of a war there. Instead, he arrived at Geneva. He met his old friend Farrel there. Farrel told Calvin requesting for his initiation of religious reformation: "If you do not lead a religious reformation, you will be cursed by God." Thus, Calvin, giving up his initial plan to go to Strassbourg, stayed in Geneva. And there he made his church a good model of all churches. When John Knox, a Scottish Christian reformer, visited Calvin's church, he praised this church: "Calvin's church is the best one on the earth according to God's will." Calvin, later, became the mayor of Geneva.
Calvin's plan was Strassbourg, but God sent Calvin to Geneva and used him there.

A big ship was navigating in one ocean. The captain of the ship instructed a course of navigation at night before he went to bed. But, all of a sudden, something captured his mind strongly. It seems to tell him to change the course of navigation. Then, the captain, ignoring this undescribable feeling or voice, went to bed. However, the strong feeling that the ship should change its navigation course did not depart from him. So, he got up and told the mate to change its scheduled course, and went to bed again. Next morning the captain and his men found a ship in distress. So, they could rescue people on the ship. God changed the course of the big ship to rescue the people on the ship in distress.

Paul was a man of faith. He always had the confidence about what he was doing, as he believed that he walked according to God's will.
The beginning of his second missionary journey was not so pleasant to him. He fought with Barnabas, his best friend in Christ, and separated from him.
Barnabas was a person who defended Paul against his opponents when he became a Christian and brought him to the church at Antioch where Barnabas and Paul were sent as missionaries.
However, now Paul and Barnabas were separated after a big fight. Paul went on his second missionary journey with Silas because he thought that this was God's plan for him. Paul met Timothy while he was spreading the gospel at Derbe and Lystra in Asia Minor. And Timothy decided to accompany Paul and Silas.

Paul wanted to continue to spread the Gospel in southern part of Asia Minor.
But, strangely enough, the Bible records that the Holy Spirit had told Paul and his co-workers not to go into the province of Asia at that time.
Spreading the Gospel is for the glory of God, but spreading the Gospel in southern part of Asia Minor where Paul already visited and proclaimed the Gospel during his first missionary journey was not according to God's plan.
God wanted Paul to go on to a next area, specifically at this time, to Macedonia. That's why the Holy Spirit forbid him to spread the Gospel in southern part of  Asia Minor.
Paul did not know yet why the Holy Spirit had told him not to go into that province. Thus Paul and his company traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia and came to the borders of Mysia.
Then, they headed for the province of Bithynia, northern part of Asia Minor, which was a center of commerce and trade at that time. Paul seemed to make his travel plan without consulting with God, thinking only that spreading the Gospel in any area was always pleasing God. But, later he found that God's thought and plan were different from his. God has a specific plan and will for each one of us.
When you seek God's will, make sure that your plan is in harmony with God's plan; when you are not sure whether you are on the right track. you may ask mature Christians for their advice; you need to check your motives--are you seeking to do what you want or what you think God wants?; and pray God to open and close the doors as He desires.

Against Paul's desire to go to Bithynia, as is in verse 7, the Spirit of Jesus, that is, the Holy Spirit, again did not let Paul and his company go there.
Paul must have been very disappointed at this time. He probably thought that there was something wrong with his second missionary journey. At the beginning of the journey, he was separated from his best Christian friend Barnabas, and now he could not do anything and could not go anywhere according to his plan.
What was the problem of Paul?
I believe that Paul had not prayed God enough for his being used by God at this time, as his started his missionary journey in an unpleasant mood. Although spreading the Gospel is for the name of God, God wanted his workers to pray Him and to be guided by His Spirit.

When Paul was blocked by the Holy Spirit in his plan, he probably prayed hard to God. At this time, God revealed his plan and will to Paul in a vision. Paul had a vision, in which a man from Macedonia was asking Paul: "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
This was God's plan for Paul who felt unpleasant and disappointed from the beginning of the journey.
And now, Paul became more humble and gave up all his thoughts and desires, and was ready to be used wholly only according to God's plan and desire.
So, Paul decided to leave for Macedonia at once.