greatly annoyed

This morning I read one of those passages that makes Paul sound as human as you or me. Here it is, from Acts 16:16-19: "As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.’ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour."

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.”

I, too, am prone to become greatly annoyed. And sometimes, as with Paul, my annoyance results in me doing something that has consequence I would have preferred to avoid. Although Paul and his companion were beaten with rods and imprisoned, which is quite a bit more severe than my usual outcomes.

It’s interesting that Paul seemed willing to allow the spirit to remain in possession of the girl until it annoyed him. This, too, reminds me of myself, and all the times I’ve looked past a person in need because I was focused on something else.

Of course, this is really a story about the spirit recognizing God at work, and being unable to remain silent. And it’s about the power of Jesus working through Paul to command the spirit. I suppose those things could be true of me also, were I as spiritually sensitive as Paul and as committed and invested in ministry.

So, for several reasons, this is a comforting passage for me today. It reminds me that Paul, one of the greatest workers for Christ ever, wasn’t perfect either. And it shows me what an imperfect disciple who stays connected to Jesus can do.