WHEN JESUS SAYS “NO”

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying,

“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Acts 16:9 

Paul looked out over Galatia toward the mountains of Cappadocia. He grew excited with visions of the Far East, perhaps taking the Gospel as far as China. But, just like that, without the blink of an eye, the Holy Spirit said, “No, Paul, not there.”

​Paul then looked northward, aiming at Bithynia, and again the Holy Spirit said, “No, Paul, not there.”

​Paul then turned west and wound up in Troas, where a vision from the Lord called him across the water to Macedonia. I would love to know what happened those two times that Paul interpreted as the Holy Spirit turning him a different direction. But what we do know is interesting.

​We know that people who are very astute in discerning the will of God can still get it wrong. Even with the good intentions of proclaiming the Gospel; our mode, time, or direction of outreach might be outside of God’s will. The Holy Spirit affected entire populations when He redirected Paul, reminding us how wide-sweeping one small decision might be. The reason for the Holy Spirit’s prohibition in this case is unknown, buried somewhere in the heart of God’s universal plan for reaching the elect. But, our takeaway from this event is perhaps the most obvious detail: we must remain righteous and in the proper condition to hear the voice of the Lord. “No” was not meant to stop Paul’s work. It was just to keep him from doing this Paul’s way instead of God’s way.

​We can apply this to prayer as well. “No” doesn’t mean “stop praying”. It means keep praying, but in a different direction.

Davy L. Troxel