A short reading and prayers for today
That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once.
Acts 16:9-10 NLT
We should never put a limit on the ways in which God might choose to speak to us. Yesterday we saw God putting a block on Paul’s plans. Today he makes it crystal clear where Paul should go next. In a vision he saw a man from Macedonia pleading with them to go and help. We receive no information about what this vision was like although we might presume that it was whilst Paul was dreaming. I wonder how you interpret your dreams. Much of the time dreams are, in my experience, extraordinary and impossible to unravel. If I can remember them at all beyond breakfast they don’t seem to have any lasting significance. But dreams play an important role in many parts of the Bible and so we should definitely be open to the possibility that they will, from time to time, reveal God’s plans to us. Paul was clearly entirely sure that the vision was sent from God and so he and Silas immediately set out to Macedonia.
We need God’s guidance on a continual basis. We often refer to guidance in relation to the big decisions of life – who we should marry, our career, or moving to a new area. But the truth is that every day we are making decisions about our relationships, our homes, our jobs, and our purchases and so we need to live with a continual openness to God’s guidance. In my experience, God will often guide us through our experience, prayer, the Bible, sermons and our friends but we should not close the door to any way in which he might choose to speak to us. Perhaps in the future he will choose to speak to you through a film, a painting, a flower, a bird – or even a dream.
QUESTION
What would you do if God guided you through a dream?
PRAYERS
Loving Father, help me to hear your voice, however you choose to speak to me. Amen
Lord, we pray thee
that thy grace may always prevent and follow us,
and make us continually to be given to all good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
Teach us to offer ourselves to your service,
that here we may have your peace,
and in the world to come may see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.