“Not Bithynia”

by Jon

“And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” Acts 16:7

It has been more than six months since we arrived in Lopburi. While we have been progressing with our language learning, these couple of months have been a period where we made several vision trips under the direction of our leaders, to places where OMF ministers. These vision trips allow us a more holistic view of OMF’s work in Thailand as well as help us clarify God’s vision for us in terms of where we will be ministering for the long-term after our language and cultural learning phase.

It is during this time that I have been meditating on how Paul planned his own trips during his missionary journeys. Reading about how Paul and his companions were attempting to reach Asia Minor by travelling towards Bithynia but were stopped by the Holy Spirit, I can empathise with how Paul must have felt. I can imagine how his mind was fixed on preaching God’s Word in Asia and reaching out to those in the fringes of civilisation who have not heard of Jesus. It must have felt like a calling to people groups with great needs for the hope of Christ.

However, when the Spirit stopped him and they had to travel towards Troas instead, I can imagine only one realisation in his mind as he had to come to terms with the sudden change of plans:

Not Bithynia.

We are unsure how long it took for Paul and his companions to travel to Troas; how long before Paul received the dream of the man from Macedonia beseeching them to visit; or even whether Paul wrestled with the decision to change his focus from Asia Minor to Europe. In the end, God did ensure that Bithynia and Asia Minor was reached with the Gospel through Peter instead of Paul (1 Peter 1:1).

This spoke to me as I put myself in Paul’s shoes. While our hearts have always been for the Isaan Thais in Northeast Thailand, I can’t help but imagine if through the vision trips God spoke to us: Not Isaan.

Sometimes when the Holy Spirit stops us from a course of action, we usually are desperate to ask God: “What next?” “What now?”

The certainty of knowing our next steps puts our heart at ease, gives us a sense of control over our lives, and helps portray a sense of confidence to those around us. However, while we seriously consider where God has called us, I am reminded that our vocational call is dynamic and ultimately, God-directed rather than set in stone.

This has been a reminder for us not to fret about where we will be going eventually but instead, to rest in the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, ready to receive our own “Macedonian call” that can only come from God, whether to Northeast Thailand or to anywhere else.