As I face the disappointment of cancelled travel plans, I find myself drawn to Acts 16 and Paul’s frustrations. He wanted to go to Bithynia (roughly modern Istanbul), “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (v.7). Clearly, the Holy Spirit does not always reveal to preachers where they should go in a way that guarantees smooth access. Aborted journeys can, in God’s mysterious providence, be part of his good purposes.
In the previous verse, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were “kept by the Spirit of Jesus from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (v.6). I shall quote the verses in full and then share three observations that stand out for me:
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. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
1. The method is less important than the interpretation.
We are not told how the Spirit prevented them—was it illness (perhaps hinted at in Gal 4:13), closed roads, or some inward constraint? Luke leaves the means unexplained. But that itself teaches something: the events are less important than the guiding hand of the Spirit of Jesus. Often, the wisdom of God’s direction becomes clear only in retrospect, when we can see how apparent obstacles were actually guiding the mission forward.
2. Closed doors are often temporary.
Although Paul could not preach in Ephesus or Smyrna (Asia) then, later he spent two years in Ephesus, and from there “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). God’s timing may frustrate us, but it is always perfect.
3. God’s redirection can be expansive and surprising.
Paul was a native of Asia Minor; his natural trajectory would have been northeastward, within familiar territory. Yet God steered him northwest to Troas, across the Aegean, and ultimately into Macedonia—Europe. Here, the narrative becomes striking: Luke switches from “they” to “we” (v.10), suggesting that the historian himself joined the mission on the coast in Troas. Even the chronicler of the early church becomes part of the story through God’s providence. The blocked doors, frustrating as they must have seemed, placed Paul on a bold new frontier, ensuring the gospel’s advance into an entirely new continent. And we get the Book of Acts thrown into the deal!
These five verses in Acts 16 are often overlooked by those who prefer a kind of 'Actsion Movie' rather than the real text of Acts. But v 6-10 are actually a thrilling fulfilment of the promise in the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20). It is not stated – though this would be true – that God in heaven directed events in his sovereign wisdom from afar, it is that the Spirit of Jesus was there with Paul as his constant (but enigmatic) companion, to the very end of the age (Matt 28:20).
This passage reminds me that what feels like frustration or delay may be God’s preparation for something far larger than we can see. God’s guidance is not always clear in the moment, but in hindsight the pattern of redirection becomes evident. For Paul, closed doors were not failures; they were a prelude to the gospel crossing into Europe. Likewise, my own plans being cancelled are not dead ends; they may be openings for God’s purposes that I cannot yet perceive.
That said, perhaps I am already seeing ways the Lord is leading me into wider and more fruitful labour for him. I recently created a writing schedule for a biography of Roger Cumberland, which some Presbyterian American friends have long been urging me to write. Since I have done much of the research already, I could probably draft a chapter each month over the next 18 months, but it is always hard to set aside the time. Is this a divine opportunity for me to hole myself up somewhere quiet and crack on with the writing so that I have a draft sooner than anticipated to send to potential collaborators in the writing process?
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