Acts 8:26-29 (NIV)
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Philip was not just a man chosen to oversee the distribution of food to the widows in Jerusalem, he was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3-6), and he was 100% committed to God and to His agenda. Therefore, when I called on him, there was no hesitation, no doubt, no casting of fleeces or all-night prayer vigils to verify and validate His call. He knew God’s voice, and when He spoke, Philip responded.
The call Philip received was clear, although many who receive such a call might want more details before they commit to obey. He was directed south from Samaria to the road that ran west from Jerusalem to Gaza, and then into Egypt. He had no idea what was waiting for him there. He simply obeyed and fully expected God to provide additional guidance as he went.
The divine appointment that God had prepared for Philip was with the royal treasurer of Ethiopia. This man worshiped God as a “God fearer,” a gentile who worshiped the God of the Jews and had gone up to the temple in Jerusalem and was now on his way back to Ethiopia. To pass the time, he had a scroll of the prophet Isaiah across his lap and was reading aloud from it as he was driven along.
As Philip watched the chariot approach, the Spirit of God spoke to him again. The man riding in the chariot was his assignment. He was to run up to the chariot, and then run along beside it as it went. As he obeyed, he would know what to do.
Note that, at each point, instant obedience was required for the successful completion of God’s mission. If Philip had waited to leave Samaria, the chariot would have passed by before he got there. And if he waited to run to the chariot after God told him to go, the chariot would have passed by, and he would have had to chase it down the road, if he was able to catch it at all. In every case, God’s call is time-sensitive, and even though He might only show a person the very next step that they needed to take rather than the whole plan, instant obedience is needed to ensure the continuation and ultimate success of His plan.
Father, the thing that comes to my mind as I hear this is the line in Jesus’ prayer that He gave to His followers: “Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” That’s the way that Philip did Your will, the same way it is done in heaven – instantly, completely, without questioning or bargaining, and even joyfully. And because he obeyed so fully and so instantaneously, Your plan for this eunuch was fully realized. Help me, Lord, to obey with that same alacrity, so that I can glorify Your name with my obedience, and with Your power working freely through me. Amen.
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