NOTES for Act 13:2

How simple everything is, is it not? The Holy Spirit spoke, and everything was clear to everyone. Why, then, are we always overcome by doubts and uncertainty, endless searches for God's will, and inability to hear His voice?

In this connection it is fitting to recall a parable. A certain man came to his spiritual mentor with a question: "Why have I been seeking a meeting with God for so many years, and still it does not happen?" Then the mentor led him into the water and began to drown him. And when the man had almost choked, he pulled him out of the water and asked, "What did you want most of all there, under the water?" The disciple answered, "Air." "Then," said the teacher, "when you desire that meeting as much as air, it will happen."

Do we seek the will of God that strongly? Can we always say, as in this verse, that we "served the Lord and fasted"?

Here is in what the life after the Pentecost is remarkable, here is in what the book of the Acts of the Apostles is remarkable: all events come true not simply by people’s understanding and decision, but because the Holy Spirit manifested His will. We only have to sigh why we don’t succeed like. But is it only necessary to sigh? Shouldn’t we look attentively, why that succeeds to others?

In the first place, it is written that they ministered to the Lord and fasted. It means that people was seeking for God's will, praying with purpose of heart for it {the will}, even fasted for more assiduity in prayer. It was a sign for God, that His word will be heard with all attention, and that they will not turn a deaf ear to. Is that how we prepare for God to tell us something?

Secondly, it is written that no word remains powerless for God (see Luke 1:37). Thus, God will not give His word to us if He sees (and indeed He sees!) that we aren’t going to accept His word with obedience (to cast pearls before swine?). The following verse (Acts of the Apostles 13:3) shows that in this case people hurried to do God's will.

As everything is simple, isn’t it? The Holy Spirit spoke - and everything is clear for all! Why we do always have doubts and uncertainties? Why do we constantly look for God's will and do not listen to His voice?

Recently, I was told a parable. A certain person came to his spiritual instructor (counselor) with the question: why so many years I’m seeking for a meeting with God, but it does not still happens? Then the counselor brought him to the water and began to…. Sink; and when this one already almost drowned, he draw him out of water and asked:"what did you want most there, under water?" The student answered:" air ". "Like that ", - says the teacher, - "when you will wish the meeting, as air, it will take place” Do we strongly seek God's will? Can we always say, as in this verse that we «ministered the Lord and fasted"?

In this story it is very important to understand that Elymas is not an enemy of the apostles, and that the apostles have no authority to punish their opponents or dissenters in any way. This is important because we are very inclined, for the sake of a God-pleasing cause, to find enemies for ourselves and, if we have the chance, to punish them thoroughly. What, then, happened?

As we remember, blindness in Scripture very often expresses conscious or unconscious resistance to God. Do you remember how the Lord spoke about "the blind man who leads the blind"? It is especially significant to hear words about blindness from Paul, who himself went through the experience of being blinded when he was a persecutor of the Church and of Christ. This very episode with Paul lets us understand that the blinding of Elymas is not so much a punishment as an act of God that places a person in a completely special position, the position of needing to choose, always freely nevertheless, between light and darkness, between hostility to God and faith.