David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 18:18-28

After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹ And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. ²¹ But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. ²³ After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. ²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

When I received the Call to serve as pastor at St. John, in Cypress, I urgently and prayerfully sought to know the will of God. I loved the people at Holy Cross. Ministry was going well there. But the Call to Cypress was very compelling. There was an obvious need for me at St. John. I was torn and unable to discern what was God’s will in that case.

So I ended up writing two letters. One said I was staying at Holy Cross. The other said I was accepting the Call to St. John. When I showed the letters to Diane, she confirmed what I had concluded. We were moving to Cypress.

It wasn’t an easy or lightly-taken decision. I believe I could have stayed at Holy Cross and enjoyed God’s blessings there. But I could really understand Paul’s words to the Ephesians when he said, “I will return to you if God wills.” I didn’t intend to return to Holy Cross per se, but I felt that God had shaped my decision to move to Cypress.

We are able often to understand what the will of God is when looking back on the past. The pieces come together. We have that aha moment when we see how God has orchestrated life. We see how God’s bigger picture is played out in the little decisions we make as we seek to live out Jesus’ prayer, “Thy will be done.”

Jesus prayed that prayer under intense circumstances as he faced his coming suffering and death. He taught us all to pray that prayer regularly, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. We also pray, in that prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” Our best decision-making process will always put those two together: God’s mission and God’s will are a symphony of his love for us and all people.