Acts 16:6-10

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.
-Acts 16:6-10

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As Christians, we can be used by God in many ways, and in many different places. The body of believers is composed of many different parts, and different people are called to serve in different areas, some of which are areas that may not be expected.

We read here that Paul is constantly being rerouted as he ventures to different places to preach the gospel. First, God closes off Asia, in which Paul decides to go to Bithynia. However, Jesus promptly closes that route as well, in which Paul goes to Troas instead. God ultimately makes it clear where He wants Paul to go, and through a vision Paul receives his instructions to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel there.

As we grow in our faith and seek ways to lead or serve, it may be easy or comfortable to choose an area we are familiar with, or perhaps always wanted to be in. However, we need to remember that it is ultimately God who sets our paths and knows what’s best for us and the world, so we have to be ready even for the unexpected.

When we’re driving and we approach a closed off road, we have to take detours to get where we need to go. We can’t decide to ignore the road closure and proceed as usual, as that may be dangerous or simply illegal. The alternate route is what’s best and we have to trust it will get us to our destination. Similarly, there will be many paths and plans that God will close off, which may not always be easy to take and may lead to disappointment. However, we can have faith that it is what’s best for us and will ultimately help us achieve the end goal of growing closer to God and helping others know him too.