Troas was the name given to the region in the far northwest of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy, and also to the port city of Alexandria Troas, built by the successors of Alexander the Great and later raised to the status of a Roman colony.
Situated on the coast of the Aegean Sea, the city served as a crossing point between Asia and Europe. It was there that Paul, on his second missionary journey, had a night vision of a Macedonian man pleading for help, and decided to set sail for Macedonia.
That departure marked the first time the gospel crossed into the European continent. Paul returned to Troas more than once: he preached there, gathered the church to break bread on a night when a young man was raised from the dead, and later left personal belongings there on a subsequent journey.
Troas reminds us that God opens unexpected doors and redirects the course of those who serve him, even when that means crossing a sea toward the unknown.
