The Apostle Paul and his companions were flummoxed. They’d tried to preach in Asia but the Holy Spirit said, ‘No!’ Then they tried Bithinya, and the Spirit said, ‘Nyet.’ Scratching their heads, they went down to Troas to await further instructions.

That night Paul dreamed of the ‘man of Macedonia’ begging, ‘Come and help us.’ Excited to have direction at last, they set off in great anticipation of what the Lord planned.

They arrived in Philippi, established a small church, were imprisoned, and sent packing. They tried again in Thessalonica, provoked a riot, and had to leave. In Berea, they had a bit more success until the Thessalonians turned up and Paul had to abandon his team and flee.

So there he is alone in Athens, wondering if he’d heard from God after all. Was the dream from the Lord?

We all face these moments!

We do what we think the Lord wants and it doesn’t work out. What do we do with it? Be encouraged! The Lord has another plan. After his (failed) attempt to preach in Athens, he sets off for Corinth. How was he feeling? Puzzled? A failure?

He stayed in Corinth for 18 months, established a powerful move of God there, and changed the culture and the nation.

God’s vision was bigger than Paul’s. If Paul hadn’t gone to Macedonia, he wouldn’t have reached Corinth. Our ‘failures’ are stepping stones to the unreachable.