God’s Incredible Timing

Paul had a passion for the Gospel. He had been called to spread this Good News, particularly to the Gentiles. Setting out on his second missionary journey, his thoughts must have turned toward Europe, where the needs were great, where millions of Souls needed Christ.

As he and his companions traveled throughout what today is Turkey, God seemed to close door after door. Eventually, they approached Bithynia, on the Bosporus, the most convenient place to cross from Asia to Europe. But “the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.” They could not go there—the time was not right, and this was not the place.

The team then traveled to Troas, a seaport on the Aegean Sea, about 200 miles to the west. There Paul received a vision and a call to go to Europe. This was God’s time and place! Paul was learning the importance of living according to God’s plans and moving according to His timetable.

Bible stories like this help each of us understand the same principles. Just like Paul, we need to remember that God is sovereign and that He has a plan—for the world and for our lives as individuals.

Today, submit your life anew to God. Ask Him to help you to be more sensitive to His Spirit. Seek to move in accordance with His will, and align your life with His plans. Be ready to act, faithfully, in God’s time.

Remember: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).