Acts 16:6-7 (ESV Strong's)
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
Truth: God directs where He wants His message made known and by whom He wants it made known.
In the above passage we have the ministry of Paul directed by the hand of God. The truth is, as stated, God directs us where and when He wants, to who He wants. Logistically and practically, there were actually several roads in front of Paul and his team. They could have gone a variety of ways, just based upon the traffic patterns. They are are the proverbial, "fork in the road," literally. At this point, however, they are not suffering from paralysis by analysis. They don't freeze and "wonder where to go," but rather start to go. They are forbidden to go to Asia. This might seem odd, but later (Acts 19:10) we are told that the citizens of Asia did, eventually, hear the gospel due to Paul's ministry. The lesson for us is that God's timing is as important as His ministry. They also were not allowed to go to Bithynia. However, since Peter will eventually write his first letter to those scatter in a number of regions, including Bithynia, we have to conclude that God provided them a messenger at some point. We get so caught up in the where of our ministry and should stop to realize that God is in control of the place and time we minister as much as the message of the ministry. These men attempted to preach the gospel wherever they were located, but were sensitive to the Holy Spirit and moved where He willed, not where they willed. Being in the right place is as important as having the right message. God is control of where and when we minister and preach the gospel. Our job is to live it out no matter if He stops us from going one place or the other.
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