I’ll never forget the time our youth pastor’s wife came up to me after the Sunday morning service and said, “Pastor Greg, can you help us? We don’t know what the h*ll we’re doing!” She was referring to the profound uncertainly she and her husband both felt over what God wanted them to do vocationally and where he wanted them to live geographically.

Knowing Kathy as never one for pretense, I smiled, gave her a big hug, and thanked her for her candor. I could relate and, again, her honesty was refreshing. Who among us hasn’t felt confused, frustrated, or even disillusioned at times because we didn’t know or understand the specifics of what God wanted? Moreover, for those of us who love God- like my friend Kathy or the apostle Paul below, we want God’s agenda for our lives but we often experience a lot of uncertainly when it comes to knowing exactly what He wants.

That’s why I love the passage I’ve abbreviated below:

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 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… One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well… [Later as Paul and Silas]… were going to the place of prayer… [the owners of a demon-possessed slave girl]… seized… and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers… [who] gave orders to beat them with rods.”

Select verses from Acts 16:6-22, ESV

This passage is remarkable and I would encourage you to read the full chapter to get all the details. Acts is known for giving us a historical account of Paul’s missionary journeys but what we see here is more like God’s intentional non-missionary journey! 

First, they tried to go west… to Ephesus (BTW, Asia here refers to the territory around Ephesus). Then north… to Bythinia. Then west again to Troas—400 miles by foot! (Troas was a major Aegean port to the south of ancient Troy.)

Then finally they sailed northwest to Macedonia—what we know as Europe. And then when they get there “the man from Macedonia” turns out to be a woman! 🙂

But the most significant thing about this account is not the complex geography involved but the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, this passage is something we can be deeply thankful for this holiday season. Sometimes, like my friend Kathy, we really don’t know what the h*ll we’re doing– or what God is doing for that matter! And a passage like this is exactly what we need. Here are a few encouraging things it teaches us about uncertainly and God’s will:

• As a general rule, keep moving. Paul and his team were not always certain, but they kept moving. This is consistent with what Jesus taught: “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you (Matt. 7:7, NRSV). Notice that all three of the words I’ve italicized in this verse are action words. We are to seize the day (Eccl. 11:6), not be “if only-ing” our way through life. As one pastor friend shared with me, “Excuses are the crutch of the uncommitted.”
• Remember God is capable of stopping us if we are moving in the wrong direction. That is certainly what happened with Paul and his friends.
• Having said this, there is an appropriate place for procrastination. If you have no peace…wait. The late Anglican pastor and theologian, John Stott said this, “It is a mistake to be in a hurry or to grow impatient with God. It took him about 2,000 years to fulfill his promise to Abraham in the birth of Christ. It took him eighty years to prepare Moses for his life’s work. It takes him about twenty-five years to make a mature human being. So then, if we have to make a decision by a certain deadline, we must make it. But if not, and the way forward is still uncertain, it is wiser to wait.  I think God says to us what he said to Joseph and Mary when sending them into Egypt with the child Jesus: ‘Stay there until I tell you’ (Matt. 2:13).  In my experience, more mistakes are made by precipitate action than by procrastination.”
• Don’t take difficulties or failure as a sign that you are out of the will of God. The opposite is often true! Indeed, in the account above, the adversity was not in the end a hindrance but the very instrument God used to advance the gospel! On this last point and for further study:
  • What does Romans 5:1-5 tell us about God’s normal MO for growing his people?
  • According to Acts 8:1, what did God use to fulfill the prophecy of Jesus in Acts 1:8?
  • According to Phil. 1:12-14, what did God use to bring the gospel to the whole imperial guard?