When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.  During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 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 16:7-10

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God called my daughter to teach elementary school in our school district. Everyone in our family supported this calling because, after all, she was a hometown girl, and don’t teachers give birth to teachers? The answer to this question is an unequivocal “no.“

Though she taught near us for four years, God called her in a new direction. This is the very daughter whom I spoke of a week ago—the one who was trying to sort out her life in the mountains, where she promptly fell in love. Not with the mountains, which she already loved, but with a person—her God-designed soulmate.  

She got married in a blink, had her first baby in a blink, taught in a disadvantaged school for two blinks, and then—I’ll continue this story in a bit. Okay?

Today’s Scripture speaks so aptly to many of our lives. We are all “called to mission”—God’s mission—every last one of us. In this passage, Paul thought he was going to one place, but God called him and also called Luke, the author of Acts, to His team. They became God’s missionaries, establishing churches in Europe. 

Have you ever been in one place in your life, only to be directed by circumstances onto a completely different path?

Let’s go back to my daughter’s story for a moment. After thinking teaching was her path, God directed her family further South to Ecuador to serve and share the Gospel. In a Christian camp ministry, God was at work, and wonderful Christ-following relationships were formed. They thought they would spend a lifetime in this ministry. However, God directed them back to the States for medical reasons. It was another unexpected turn, but God continued to lead their way. Now they serve Christ in a different capacity but still with an international focus. Their collective path looked different from what was planned, but it was all on mission.  

Next Steps

How open are you to setting aside your own plans for God? God will direct our path if we listen to Him. 

Quite often, He sends us in unexpected directions to serve Him. Let us allow these changes in direction to drive us to our knees, confessing our need for Him and any sin that might be blocking the way. 

Continue reading through the book of Acts, along with the rest of the Willow this summer. You can find the reading plan here. Ask God to be active in your life and in the lives of those around you.