Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Acts 16:9-10
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.
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, Paul saw a man from Macedonia pleading with him to go and help. We receive no information about what this vision was like, although we might presume it was while 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, so God might well use them to guide us. Paul was clearly entirely sure that the vision was sent from God, so he and Silas immediately set out to Macedonia.
We need God’s guidance on a continual basis, because every day we need to make decisions. 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
In what different ways has God made His guidance to you clear?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to hear Your voice, however You choose to speak to me. Amen

Acts 16:6
Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
This is a remarkable moment. Paul clearly had a carefully worked out plan for his missionary journey but, at the same time, was intensely sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. He was travelling through what we now know as central Turkey, heading towards Ephesus, but then the Spirit prevented him from going in that direction. So, he then set off north until, in the next verse, the “Spirit of Jesus” told them not to enter Bithynia. We have no idea how Paul received this guidance. Perhaps it was through a dream or a word of prophecy. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Paul was ready to go wherever the Lord led him, and he was eager to respond immediately to the breath of the Spirit.
Planning is good. It is wise to think through plans for the future, whether we are thinking about family holidays, career, retirement or the mission of the Church. It is good to do thoughtful research and to talk with lots of people and, as a result, to devise a plan that makes sense and wins general approval. However, we still need to remain light on our feet and ready to adjust to new circumstances or the voice of God. Guidance is often not neat and clear-cut. It involves listening with all our attention to the voice of the Spirit.
Question
Has the Spirit ever said no to any of your plans?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you that You love us so much that You are willing to stop us going the wrong way. Amen

Acts 16:2-3
The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of [Timothy]. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
This is a fascinating moment. Paul had just come away from the council of Jerusalem, where the decision had been made that it was unnecessary for Christians to obey all the Jewish law. He, more than anyone, passionately believed it was not necessary for men to be circumcised, and in his letters, he was scathing of those who disagreed. So why did Paul then insist that his new companion, Timothy, should go through this ceremony? The answer is that he believed their priority was to preach the gospel, and nothing should be allowed to get in the way of that. If Timothy was to work effectively among Jews, it would be much more helpful if he were circumcised. Timothy’s mother was a Jew, so he already had much in common with the Jewish people. His circumcision would make it much easier for him to gain their respect and trust.
Paul was absolutely clear that his priority was to share the good news of Jesus effectively with as many people as possible. Nothing was more important than that. Our situation is very different from Paul’s, but that’s an important challenge for us as well.
Question
What could you do to reach out more effectively to your family, neighbours or work colleagues with the good news of Jesus?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for Paul’s example. Help us to be humble enough to learn from it. Amen

Acts 15:37-39
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.
This is a painful moment, but I’m so glad Dr Luke recorded it. He could quite easily have airbrushed it out of his account, but he didn’t. Paul and Barnabas fell out over taking John Mark on the next missionary journey. It’s impossible for us to know exactly why, although we are told that Paul was disappointed by the way John Mark had deserted them on the first missionary journey. Because we know Barnabas was a great encourager, it is easy to presume that he wanted to give John Mark a second chance. However, there may well have been other factors we are unaware of. What we know for sure is that they split up.
Splits and disagreements are never easy. I don’t want to make light of this, but it is also important to see them in light of the wider perspective – which is far easier after the event, and almost impossible at the time. What matters is that we live with such prayerfulness, humility and grace that we are able to face these moments in a Christ-like way. Occasional disagreements are inevitable, but they don’t need to have the last word. As we place ourselves in God’s hands, He can bring blessing, even after the most painful splits.
Question
In what way could you better prepare yourself to face tough times?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you that You are with us in every moment, however challenging. Amen

Acts 15:28
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.
The council of Jerusalem, which we read about in Acts 15, had a massive problem to resolve. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it came upon a huge gathering of Jews, so the first Christians brought with them the richness of their Jewish traditions. However, very quickly, the gospel spread to people from a non-Jewish background. This set up enormous tensions because there were many Christians from a Jewish tradition who believed that non-Jews were welcome to Christian faith on the condition that they all abided by Jewish law. After careful debate, the council came to the conclusion that those from a non-Jewish background did not need to accept all the law. However, they did need to abide by some sensitive restrictions. In the beautiful words of today’s verse, the settlement that they arrived at “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”.
We face huge challenges in the Church today and as we make decisions together we need to share in good debate, just as they did in the council of Jerusalem. We need to listen carefully to one another and weigh up the different opinions. And through it all we need to pray that, at the end of the day, we will be able to say with the early Church “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”.
Question
In what current issues do we particularly need to be seeking the Spirit’s guidance?
Prayer
Lord God, we praise You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit and we pray that He will lead us into all truth. Amen