Often God speaks to us...
Illustration
Often God speaks to us in the dark. In fact, sometimes we can see and hear clearer
in the night than any other time. God came to Samuel in the night and told him he
was calling him to do a special task for his people (1 Samuel 3:1-18). Jesus came walking
on the water one stormy night when the disciples were afraid their boat would sink. Jesus
whispered courage and hope to his followers in their fears (Mark 6:47ff). As the candles
and shadows flickered on the table, Jesus broke bread and gave them a cup and said,
"Remember me" (Mark 14:17ff). In today's text, God spoke to the apostle Paul one night
and it changed the direction of the mission of the church. In a vision, a voice came to
Paul saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Paul, at that time, had planned to go
in the opposite direction, but he listened to that vision that came in the night and in that
turning west, the gospel has come down to us. Lydia, a prominent citizen of the town,
became the first European convert. God would use her to open a door for the gospel
because of her influence. One wonders what would have happened to the history of the
church had Paul not responded to his Macedonian call that came that night in the
dark.
