The Greek verb euthudroměō (εὐθυδρομέω) means to sail a straight course, to run straight, to go directly. It combines euthus (straight, direct) and dromos (a course, race, running). It appears twice in Acts (16:11 and 21:1), both times describing favorable sailing passages that Luke records with crisp nautical precision.
In Acts 16:11, after Paul's Macedonian vision, the missionary party "set sail from Troas and ran a straight course to Samothrace" — the wind was favorable, they went straight. In Acts 21:1, departing from Miletus, they "ran a straight course to Cos." Luke's nautical detail is significant: these direct passages signal divine provision. Fair winds and straight courses were not guaranteed; they were gifts. The Spirit's call to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10) resulted in providential euthudromia — God clears the way when He ordains the path. There is also a metaphorical truth: the disciple who stays aligned with the Spirit's direction travels straight; deviation produces wandering.