A Third Option

Have you ever mulled over a decision. You thought through all the pros and cons. You weighed the two options on the table. Prayerfully you sought God's guidance for His will. For days you prayed back and forth and back and forth about what decision to make. You pondered it for hours on end but still felt no closer to a clear decision. Then suddenly a third option presented itself. Not something you had ever considered before. Something out of the box. Out of left field. Something crazy. Something unconventional.

Paul had a mission. He had a plan to accomplish that mission. During the implementation of that plan God presented a third option. Paul had not even considered this option. God presented that third option in a dramatic way. Read about it for yourself.

Acts 16:9-10 (NKJV)
9  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10  Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The third option meant going to Macedonia to preach the gospel and to help people there. This is not something Paul had considered. Paul planned on going to Asia. That door closed. Next, he tried to go to Bithynia. That did not work out either. In fact we read that the Holy Spirit forbid Paul from going to Asia. Then the Holy Spirit did not permit him to go to Bithynia. Two options closed. God presented a third option. His ordained option.

Acts 16:6-7 (NKJV)
6  Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
7  After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

God used a vision to reveal His will. God did not always communicate that way. There is much debate about whether God still communicates that way today. The man from Macedonia presented a third option. The third option proved to be God's option. Going to Macedonia was God's will. Paul obeying that vision meant ministry in Philippi and Thessalonica. Because Paul not only considered the third option, but followed through in faith, we have divinely inspired errant scriptures called Philippians along with I and II Thessalonians.

Maybe you are up against a hard decision. One you have wrestled in prayer over for some time seeking the right way to go. After all this time you might still be unsure and unclear as to what God wants. Have you considered there might be a third option you have not contemplated at all? A whole other course you have never thought about. It might be revealed in an unconventional way. Maybe it will even look conventional. Maybe the third option is the best option of all. Maybe you have recently entertained some wild out there possibility you quickly dismissed because it seemed so outlandish. Maybe it is God's third option after all. Something to be really considered. Only God can give reassurance and peace about His will.

Not sure who this is meant for? This just came to me this afternoon. I trust the Lord will apply it where it is needed.