Did I Hear God Right? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

            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 16:9-10

            Being directionally challenged, I rely heavily on my car’s navigation system and follow it blindly.  I don’t know north from south, east from west.  If the GPS recalculates my route, because I’ve made a wrong turn, I adjust. I know some of you can relate. 

            In the Apostle Paul’s case, the voice coming through his GPS system was God’s and he had just recalculated his route, guiding him to and unplanned stop in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. Who wouldn’t he want a side trip to Greece?  Paul trusted God’s GPS and changed his plans.

            At first the excursion was lovely.  Paul and his companions made a new friend in the faith, Lydia, who put them up at her home.  Lydia was the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe.

            But then this reroute to Philippi took a turn south, when for days an irritating slave girl kept shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”  Paul realizing the girl’s spirit was not of the Lord, cast the evil spirit out of her, angering her owners because they lost the false prophet wages she was bringing in.

            The owners stirred up the authorities against Paul and Silas.  They were stripped, beaten and thrown into prison.  At that point, do you think Paul was thinking, “Did I hear God right?”  Why would God send me to a place where this would happen?

            Often times, in our lives we ask the same questions.  When we are connected to God’s GPS and we think we are following it, we don’t understand when it does not direct us to paradise.  There may be hardship in the place he has taken us to. There may be disappointment, causing sadness.  What happens at the destination may prompt us to fall to our knees, pleading with God for help.  It often takes time on the other side of the journey to realize what God was trying to accomplish by taking us there.

            I have found that’s the way God’s GPS works.  It doesn’t always lead us to our comfort.  It may draw us to a place of spiritual growth.  God’s destination is generally where he will receive the most glory. And it’s not always about us.

            In Paul’s case, as he and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God while in the jail cell, a violent earthquake shook the foundation of the prison and the doors flew open. The jailer and his entire household ended up giving their lives to Christ and Paul and Silas were released.

            Why did God’s GPS direct two faithful men to such hardship? Is that what a loving God does? 

            Before they left Philippi, Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house and met with the other believers.  What did they say? “We had a great time being beaten and imprisoned.  We’ll have to do that again.  Do you have a triple antibiotic cream to put on these wounds?”  No, they probably told a captive audience that despite their hardship in prison, they witnessed a miracle when the earthquake opened up the prison doors.  They had a new brothers and sisters in Christ, the jailer and his household, because of it.  Who knows whether or not some of the authorities who imprisoned them in the first place were touched by God through what they saw and heard. What appeared to be bad, God meant for good and he was glorified.

            When you find yourself in a place you thought God led you to and because of difficult circumstances ask “Did I hear God right?” Maybe the plea should be, “Lord, show me what you want me to learn in this destination.” “How can I most glorify you through what I am going through?”  If you are relying on God’s GPS, he has you there for a reason.  Trust his navigation.