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During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:9-15 NRSV)
God still speaks. As we pray, we speak and share, but when we say amen, we should be saying, "Okay God, it's Your turn, speak for we are listening." And so, dear Friend, listen to God because God listens to you. And sometimes God speaks in dreams and visions. Such is what we will study today in this awesome passage of scripture.
Paul the Apostle had a vision during the night. His vision had him seeing a man from Macedonia begging him to come over to his country and "help" them. And, the next morning, trusting God, Paul and his entourage set out for Macedonia. They knew that the Good News needed to be preached in all corners of the world, and this was their calling!
Those who love and who seek to serve the Lord, know that God has a plan and purpose for your life. It may not seem like a big thing to you, but whatever task or job it is, might just bring life to just one person; and friend, that is huge! Those who seek to serve, seek to please God in order to be faithful and fruitful. It takes prayer, planning and the execution of that plan. Paul does that. From Troas, Paul and his team take a straight course to Samothrace, then Neapolis, then Philippi; Philippi being "a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony." For several days they just "remained in the city." There was a purpose in that down time; time to pray, reflect, and listen. It wasn't until the Sabbath that they went outside to the gate by the river, looking for a place of prayer. They found some women who were gathered there and it was there their work began what God expected from them. Notice Paul didn't exclaim, "What? Where are the crowds? Are we to preach to a few women?" No, there they found a woman named Lydia, who was a worshiper of God, and it was she who was supposed to hear this special word from the Lord. She knew God as a Gentile, but did not yet know how God had used His Son Jesus to complete His work. And it turns out Lydia was from a significant city, Thyatira, and a dealer in purple cloth. Some have suggested that Lydia might not even be her real name since she is from an area once known as the Kingdom of Lydia. We do know she was a dealer in purple, and thus, a wealthy woman who had a home big enough to house Paul and all who were with him. And she was poised to become the first Christian convert in Europe! And she did, for as the passage says, "The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul." She accepted Jesus' offer to be her Lord and Savior. She urged her household to be baptized, and then urged Paul and team to stay at her home. She should also be noted for being a persuasive, if not forceful woman, for the last verse in the passage says, "And she prevailed upon us."
One morning several years ago, a couple of church members from my church in Mission, Texas, invited me to accompany them to a small Mexican village where they had been doing some missionary work. They had a Ford van and I sat in the passenger seat as Mr. Sabas Sandoval drove. His wife, Rosa, was in the back seat along with some gifts and supplies for the church with which they had been working. As we drove up the dirt road towards the home of the pastor, I saw that the pastor was sitting on a chair on his porch. He glanced up and seeing us begins to run towards us, waving his Bible. He comes to the passenger side and runs alongside us until we stopped. He opened my door and hugged me and said the most incredible thing, "I had just been praying for the Lord to send you to come and visit me!" God had answered this man's prayer and God obviously made it possible to come as soon as he finished his prayer.
Perhaps you have had similar experiences, where an urge or nudging takes you right out of your comfort zone and to a place where you can share from your faith or life experiences a word of hope and help. It further answers the question, "Why do we pray?" Because God answers prayers and sometimes the answer may be us!
God continues to work in, and through, and sometimes, in spite of us, to reach and transform the lives of many. We are called to be open and ready.
PRAYER: Awesome God, may we be open to Your leading. Grant us the words and courage to speak on Your behalf. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be an answered prayer for one of God's favorites today!
Blessings of love,
Eradio Valverde
