“Which Way Did He Go, George? Which Way Did He Go?”

Let all that I am praise the Lord;
….with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
….may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalm 103:1-2 NLT

Acts 16:6-10(<<click here to read the passage)

One of my joys growing up was cartoons. I enjoyed the old Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies. Of course, who of that time could forget Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and all of their companions? As a read through today’s passage, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the phrase “Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?”

Now I remembered the phrase and remembered the voice but couldn’t remember what character said it. I discovered that the character was the unwitting Willoughby the Dog (voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc!) and he was speaking with the notorious George the Fox. Willoughby was looking for the fox but was always tricked by the fox, inevitably leaping over a fence off a cliff.

Now you may be wondering why that phrase would remind me of today’s passage. In my mind, I changed it up to say, “Which way do I go, Lord? Which way do I go?”

Now the great thing about it is that God would never lead us astray. The Holy Spirit’s goal is to guide us. And part of that guidance isn’t just a matter of showing us what to do and where to go. Oftentimes, it is just as important to be shown what not to do and where not to go.

The New Living Translation says that Paul and Silas were prevented…from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. v6

In the very next verse, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. v7

Paul and Silas’ only desire was to be obedient to God’s direction. We aren’t really told how they knew they weren’t to go to those areas, but they did. In essence, they were crying out “Which way do I go, Lord? Which way do I go?” And the whole time He was steering them in the direction of His choosing.

Finally, Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” v9

God had shown them the way to go.

In our lives, there are multitudes of ways we can go and do. Our goal is to be attuned to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

My Life Application Study Bible gives some great advice.

To know God’s will does not mean we must hear his voice. He leads in different ways. When you are seeking God’s will, (1) make sure your plan is in harmony with God’s Word; (2) ask mature Christians for their advice; (3) check your own motives to see if you are seeking to do what you want or what you think God wants; (4) pray for God to open and close the doors as he desires.

May we clearly understand the direction we must go and once we know may we do so with all of our hearts. Amen.

May 22^nd, 2022, Sun, 7:28 pm