Acts 8:26-40
After asking the Holy Spirit to lead you, do you ever feel like He leads you in a weird direction, like on a desert road? Acts 8:26-40 tells us when an angel of God tells Philip to "go south to the road- the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Garza" (v26). As Philip obeyed and started to go, he met an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of all the treasury reading the book of Isaiah. The Holy Spirit then tells Philip to go near him and stay there. As he heard the Ethiopian reading, he was invited to sit with him to explain what was being read. The eunuch began to ask him questions, and Philip started to tell him the good news of Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?" (v36). Then he gave orders to stop the chariot, and they both went down to the water where Philip baptized him. "When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but he went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea" (v39-20). When the Holy Spirit guides and leads you, it will not always make sense. There will be moments He tells you to get up and go somewhere that seems like a desert road. All you have to do is obey because, in that road or location, you are going to meet people who need Jesus. When you allow the Spirit to guide you, you allow Him to use you. Philip's obedience allowed the Spirit to use him to speak, teach, and baptize the eunuch. God wants to do the same with you and through you. What I find interesting about this passage is that after Philip baptized the eunuch, the Spirit took Philip away. In other words, the Spirit led him to "the desert road," not to stay there but to reach one person. Where is God leading you? For all you know, it's not to stay there but to reach one person. Allow yourself to be led, guided, and used by the Spirit.
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your guidance. Help me be sensitive to your voice and show me where you want me to go. Even if it does not make sense, I trust you. Even if it's in the desert, I trust you. Even if it's somewhere I have never been before, I trust you. Use me to speak, teach, and proclaim the Gospel wherever you take me. Allow the people to rejoice not because of my knowledge, presence, or work, but because of who you are, what you've done, what you're doing, and what you're about to do. For your honor and glory, in your name, I pray, amen.
Worship song