God’s timing is trustworthy
Acts 18:18-23
18 After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. 19 When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; 21 but on taking leave of them, he said, ‘I[j] will return to you, if God wills.’ Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Paul believed it was time to head back to Antioch in Syria, and the church that sent him on this adventure in the first place. He brings Priscilla and Aquila with him as he starts out, but he has only just started his trip when he gets to Ephesus, and he is so engaged by the city that he asks Priscilla and Aquila to stay in Ephesus and do their thing because “if God wills” he will come back to Ephesus.
Paul wants to come back to Ephesus sometime, but he is all too aware of the action of the Holy Spirit guiding and leading in ways that he had not planned. Back in Acts 16:6 at the start of this journey, Paul and the team had tried to go into the province of Asia, a province that is part of modern-day Turkey (not the continent Asia), of which Ephesus is the major city. But they had been prevented, now at the end of that same adventure he is in Ephesus. The instinct to visit Ephesus was correct, the timing was wrong. How often in our lives might we say the same thing, the instinct was correct, but the timing was wrong?
Following God’s leading is not just about doing the right thing, it is also about getting the timing correct. It is easy to run ahead of God, to move more quickly than his plan and his intention. Because as we will see when Paul finally gets to Ephesus he stays three years, if he had gone to Ephesus back in Acts 16, he might never have made it to Greece.
The primary purpose of the trip to Jerusalem and Antioch appears to be that Paul needs to re-charge his batteries after a gruelling time on the road. But he is quickly ready to go again starting as his last adventure had by returning to where he had gone on his first adventure – back to the provinces around Iconium and Lystra and Derbe. Visiting old friends in the faith is also a way to recharge one’s batteries.
PRAYER:
O Lord, we often run ahead of you thinking that we know where you are going, instead of following you trusting your timing to be good for us and for your kingdom. Teach us the joy of living in your timing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.