Welcome
“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.”
We had been preparing to move to Dallas, TX to work with Pioneer Bible Translators since February. Our goal was to get to Dallas by early May, so we could settle in and be a part of the training in June. It’s interesting (and often frustrating) how we make plans and then the realities of life force those plans to change. May passed, and finally on June 4th we made the move to Dallas. We haven’t sold our house, so we will be renting and waiting.
This verse is a reminder that our plans must be flexible. No matter how good intentioned our plans may be, or how effective we have been in the past, life still happens and circumstances force us to change. The peace to deal with the disappointment of missed goals and altered plans is in understanding that God is not disappointed, or surprised, by the challenges we face.
Paul knew that God would get him where he hoped to be, but only in God’s timing. Paul’s effectiveness in ministry was not enough to give Paul control over where and when he went. All Paul could do was persevere through obstacles until God decided the time was right. We, like Paul, must persevere through the obstacles of life, and rely on God, the only one capable of helping us navigate our way to the destinations we desire.
Tye Parks 