By Rob Post
If you know me, I have three great kids and I’m daily surrounded by kids’ songs, which means I get kids’ songs constantly stuck in my head. One song in particular sings “Stop and Go” over and over and over again. I find myself singing the chorus “Stop and Go”, “Stop and Go”, “Stop and Go”, even when the song is not playing. It's catchy and it sticks in your mind. The funny thing is, when I hear this song, it makes me think about Acts chapter 16.
In Acts chapter 16, Paul is on the go with his ministry calling and gets a “stop” by the Holy Spirit. Verse 6 says the Holy Spirit forbade him to speak the word in Asia. He redirects, is back on the go and gets a “stop” again! Why is Paul having to stop again? Shouldn’t he be able to just go?
We see the purpose of the pause in Acts 16. Acts 16:9 says:
“a vision appeared to Paul in the night; a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
Paul gets what's known as the Macedonian call or a call for help. Paul could have just been on the go and missed what God was wanting to tell him.
This brings me back to that catchy song. Stop and Go isn’t a song about driving in traffic or a beloved kids’ game; it's about stopping to hear from God and going to do what he says. Ephesians 5:17 says, ‘Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’ God wants us to stop, listen, and get direction.
Life can get busy, even when we are doing what God has called us to do. In Paul's case, he was ministering the word, recruiting disciples, travelling and seeing results. In verse 5, it says, ‘the churches were strengthened in their faith and increased in numbers daily.’ In all the good he was doing, he still needed to stop and hear from God.
For all of us, it's important to stop and to listen. Psalms 46:10 says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Sometimes it is a challenge to stop, and be still. For example, when having a conversation with someone, they would prefer having your attention and know you are listening rather than feeling that your attention is somewhere else. We have all experienced saying that we are listening, when we are actually busy with something else and miss what was said.
When you are on the go, it's good to stop for directions. I have pilots in my family and I have sat in the cockpit a few times on a trip. As we travel to our destination, the pilot is always communicating with someone over the headset. His destination doesn’t change, but he is always prepared to make an adjustment as he goes. As they enter a new air space, they might even be given suggested coordinates to reroute around a storm or an oncoming aircraft. He is always communicating during the journey.
It is the same way with our Heavenly Father. Let’s always stay in tune with the Holy Spirit and know what steps we should take. Proverbs 20:24 says, ‘A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.’ Let this verse be your confession over your life today by saying: “my steps are directed by God! I am sensitive to stop when He says ‘stop’ and go when He says ‘go.’”
