Paul and his missionary team were powerful ministers of the Gospel. But I think that most people who read the story of his ministry tend to think of him in a snapshot view, with all the wisdom and experience that he had at the end of his life.

But just like us, Paul lived a life where he was growing and learning how to operate in the kingdom of God. He didn’t just suddenly become the guy who wrote most of the New Testament at the instance of his conversion.

And here in the middle of his second missionary journey, we see something truly fascinating that I think most people just zip right through as they’re reading, because this experience that he is going through is condensed down into just one paragraph.

Now Paul was destined for great ministry. This had been prophesied about him back at his conversion. But this passage shows that he wasn’t developed enough in his experience to be ready to handle everything that God had destined for him. Not yet.

The Holy Spirit forbid the team from taking their ministry into the province of Asia. (By the way, this is the Roman province of Asia, which is modern day Turkey. It is not China).

Now why is this so significant? Because within the province of Asia was the metropolis of Ephesus. It was the biggest city in that entire region of the Roman empire.

Paul knew that if he could win Ephesus for the Lord, that from a sheer population standpoint, the Gospel would spread everywhere. If he had been reading a church growth textbook, Ephesus would have been the key.

But the Holy Spirit said, “No. Keep walking. Don’t go into Ephesus. Ignore the church growth textbook.”

Now what most people don’t understand when they read through this quick paragraph is that Paul and his team then WALKED for 800 miles before they received any direction from God about where to go next with their ministry!

How long did it take to walk 800 miles? And all that time he had no idea where God wanted him to go. All he knew is that Ephesus was getting further and further behind in his rear view mirror. And so was his goal.

But we see that God called Paul to Macedonia at the end of that 800 mile walk! Now this doesn’t seem to have been on his radar because it was a different continent. Europe! And European culture was….different.

But during Paul’s missionary endeavors in Europe, God was going to stretch him, grow him, and develop him into someone who would be ready for metropolis ministry.

And later, during his third missionary journey, God would indeed send him to Ephesus. And it would end up being the most powerful and fruitful three years of his ministry. But he wouldn’t have been able to handle it if not for the experience he gained in Europe.

Just like with Paul, God’s timing in the plan for YOUR life is critical to your development. You may see Ephesus getting further and further behind in your rear view mirror, but that doesn’t mean that what is in your heart is not in your future.

It merely means that God has a Philippi and a Corinth in the middle of your journey to get you ready for Ephesus in the future.

Have patience and trust God’s timing for your life. Believe it or not, He actually knows what He’s doing to get you ready for what He has planned for you.

If God put a dream in your heart, those 800 miles of walking without understanding where you are going are not wasted.