Paul and pauses (3)

Yesterday we learned that God speaks to us through others. When we feel that our conscience is moved/that Bible verse is stuck in our head/our heart is racing and we feel a clear sense of direction, what comes next? Well, first - doing what God wants doesn't always have to be tough. It can be as simple as doing exactly what he's asking us to do.

But what about when it isn't straightforward? What about when trusting God is the polar opposite of what seems the logical way to go. The times when trusting in God's voice takes some real guts. When the ship's officer chose not to consider what God said through Paul, all seemed fine. At first, the direction they chose met them with a 'gentle south wind'; the hurricane wasn't in plain sight (see Acts 27:13-14). The lesson here is: God's way doesn't always seem the natural first choice. But, we read in Acts 27:20 NIV that the crew had lost 'all hope of being saved.' Not good.

Praying when hope is lost, speaking to that person for the millionth time about coming to church, not going to that university, doing the opposite of what others expect from us... When God asks us to go against the expected, it's always worth the risk.



So what now? How do you know you should take a risk? If you're at a pause in your journey, do these checks: search your Bible for instances that speak about your situation; speak to an older, wiser Christian; pray and listen.





— SCRIPTURE —

'A gentle south wind began to blow.' Acts 27:13 NIV
— SOULFOOD —

2 Chr 19-21, Mark 6:14-29, Ps 119:73-80, Pro 21:14-16