The Road of Obedience

Most children love to participate in scavenger hunts. They like receiving continuous clues along the way that will eventually lead them to the end. When they have reached the end, they find out they have received a prize, and the hunt is over. Watching a scavenger hunt is also fun because you get to watch the children only being allowed to take one step at a time and yet they eventually figure it all out.

In Acts chapter 8 there is a story written about a man named Philip. His story is how God told him to do something and when he did it, he was then given another command to follow which ultimately led to one man’s salvation. No, it is not like a scavenger hunt, but it is a story in where he only went one step at a time at the lord’s direction being obedient to every command given to him by God. It’s a story that reminds us God does not always reveal all the details when He asks something of us, but we still need to be obedient, and when we are we see the results of our faithfulness and God’s.

The story is that God told Philip to go south to the road- the desert road that went down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip did as the Lord had commanded him and set off for the road. When he got there, he saw an Ethiopian Eunuch man who was an important official. This man oversaw all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This eunuch was on his way home from worshipping in Jerusalem and had stopped along the road and was reading the Prophet Isaiah when Philip saw him. The Lord told Philip to go up to this chariot and Philip ran up to it instead of walking. When he got there Philip heard this man reading aloud the prophet Isaiah and asked him if he understood what it was he was reading. The Eunuch's reply was how could he unless someone explained it to him and then insisted Philip to come up into the chariot and he did. The Eunuch was reading the passage of scripture that read: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." After reading this the Eunuch asked Phillip who the prophet was talking about- was he talking about himself or someone else? him. As they were coming up out of the water the Lord snatched Philip up and took him away to another place where he was needed to preach the gospel. The Eunuch never saw Philip again after that day and the Bible says he went on his way rejoicing for what had happened to him. 

This story of Philip's obedience is very important for us to understand because this Eunuch's life depended on Philip being obedient, in order for his salvation to come to pass. You have to also realize Philip did not choose to obey because he was sitting around doing nothing- he was busy. He was doing his day when the Lord spoke to him and yet just like that he obeyed. There were no details given as to why he had to go and why he had to go right then. Philip asked no questions- he just obeyed each command given to him by God and because of that, one man's whole life changed that day.

For us, the question is how often are we willing to go and do whatever God is asking of us? Are we only willing to go if we understand it all and it's good timing for us and our schedules? Probably we are like this more than we would care to admit, but we need to be willing to change. You see whatever God has or will ask of us we need to be willing to go and do it right at the moment He says because it is for a very specific reason. God is not sitting in Heaven just asking us to do things for the fun of it- it's for a good reason even if we do not understand it at the time. We do not need to know all the details we just need to be willing to obey.

Think for a minute about the timing of when Philip showed up. He showed up exactly when this man was reading the scriptures about Jesus and needed someone to help him understand it and because of Philip, he got it. All of this happened when it did because of Philip's obedience to God. By Philip being obedient he was able to lead this man to Christ and then baptize him.

This story should also remind us of what we are all on this earth for and that is to win souls for the Kingdom of God. To help bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ so one day they can spend eternity with our Lord.

We have to understand that God and His timing is always perfect and all we need to do is trust and obey Him in everything. To always be willing and obedient when He asks us to do something no matter what it is and do it when he says just like Philip did.

So the next time you hear God asking you to do something, do it and do it when He says- because someone is counting on you to be obedient.

From The Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns