Acts Chapter 16: Verses 13-15 (NIV-UK)
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.
Paul and his friends headed off to find a prayer meeting. That was their expectation. But when they arrived it turned into an outreach where God moved and lives responded. And because of their obedience they also found a place of friendship to stay whilst they were there.
That got me thinking. Do I always head off to worship or prayer set in my attitude or expectations. Just because God has previously moved in a particular way doesn’t mean that He will do so again. Lydia was touched because Paul obedient to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps they didn’t get the full time of prayer that they expected, but they saw God touch a whole household.
We need to be as flexible and sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. He sets the agenda, not us, even during our formal times of worship and prayer. Imagine if Paul had missed the opportunity to speak to the women by insisting that this was the time to pray rather than talk. Would God have been happy with the prayers offered if they had been made purely out of habit, rather than being sensitive to what He wanted to do?
Obedience is better than habit – even if the habits are good ones.
Dear Lord,
Help me to remember that obedience is better than sacrifice. May I always be sensitive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.