ACTS of the Apostles, Part 2

Thursday, September 1

ACTS of the Apostles, Part 2

Learning How to be Daring and Dynamic

Read Acts 16:1-15

Focus Verses: Acts 16:13-14

"On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message."

Do you ever get annoyed or even angry when our plans get disrupted. I know I do. Sometimes we forget that God may be the one interrupting our schedule. He might block us the way He blocked Paul, Silas, and Timothy from taking that trip into Asia. We might get stuck in traffic, miss our doctor’s appointment or client meeting, and have to reschedule. Or we discover a broken water pipe, and we have to cancel our plans and wait for the repairman. God has His reasons for interrupting our day. It may be that He is protecting us from an unforeseen calamity—a serious accident or a situation that could damage us. Very often, God is maneuvering us to where He needs us to be. This is a “divine appointment”—a specific time and place that God wants us to be at. He may want us to meet with someone who desperately needs an encouraging word or help that only we can give. Or maybe He needs one of His children to speak up for what’s right when everyone else is compromising, so He frees us up to be there. God’s timing is always perfect.

Our goal in this life should be to arrive at our “divine appointments”—whenever they pop up. In Philippi, God had Paul meet Lydia, who believed in God but didn’t know about Jesus. Paul shared the gospel with her. She eagerly accepted Christ as her Savior and Lord. Lydia was a successful businesswoman who sold products that were dyed purple, a popular color at that time. She immediately began sharing Christ with her customers and vendors. God used her connections to boost the spread of the gospel.

What does it mean when God disrupts our plans? Well, He prevented Paul from traveling to Asia. Was he keeping Paul safe by keeping him away? We don’t know, but we DO know that if he had gone there, he would have missed his “divine appointment” with Lydia in Philippi. Paul would have messed up part of God’s plan. Have we ever messed up God’s plan because we ignored His nudge and missed our divine appointment?

The next time our schedule gets disrupted, instead of griping, let’s praise God for the interruption. Let’s praise Him for what He is going to accomplish. Also let’s pray that we will always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit—to that unmistakable “nudge” telling us to align with God’s will for that moment. If we do, we might just meet our next “divine appointment” and fulfill our part in God’s plan of salvation.

Precious Lord, forgive us for getting annoyed when our schedules get disrupted. Let us remember that it is most likely You interrupting our plans. Make us sensitive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and give us a receptive heart to hear what You are asking us to do next. Let us always meet our divine appointments so that we can help to further Your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name and for the Father’s glory we pray. Amen