There’s this bit in the book of Acts where it’s recorded that Paul and his apostolic team were stopped from going somewhere because of the Spirit of God.
I could of course give you the exact scripture location, but I genuinely enjoy from time to time encouraging you to search it out and see if it’s so.
In any case, it’s written by Luke in a way that’s fairly straightforward, but I read it and wonder to myself, how on earth would they know? How would they know that the Spirit said no? Is it like a big voice would thunder from heaven saying, “Don’t go there, folks. I forbid it”?
What is clear in terms of their direction was a vision Paul got one night from a man calling them to come over to Macedonia. This change of direction sparked off a whole range of episodes of gospel attraction and resistance.
From that, it’s interesting to see how to know when it’s time to make a change. I don’t read this episode as given the cast-iron guarantees of how to know when things are going to change. After all it’s not everyone that gets a vision from a man saying come over to Stoke-on-Trent, or Cusco, or Malindi, or Pattaya or wherever.
However, it’s another insight into the reality that for those who love Him and are called to live for Him, there are indicators from him when it’s time for a change.
Something about growth calls for change. Even in doing the same thing in a routine way, there is something about change that invests the routine with something new and refreshing that can inspire growth.
If we are receptive to those indicators, we can make the change necessary to bring about further growth. For some that might call for receiving a vision to come to Akureyri, Rotorua, Samarqand or wherever.
For the rest of us, we’re called to be sensitive to which way the wind is blowing …
(Photo by Jordan Ladikos on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 