2022_01_26 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Acts 7-8
We first are introduced to Philip in Acts 6, when he and 6 others are assigned to oversee the equitable distribution of food among recipients of the early church. Evidently some of the Greek (foreign) widows were being overlooked in favor of the locals. This dispute threatened the unity of the new church, so the apostles appointed a team to defuse the situation and develop a good plan. This week in chapter 8 we hear again about Philip as a powerful evangelist in Samaria who was helping many cross the line of faith. Things are going really well and then a strange thing happens, “God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.” Acts 8:26–28 (The Message)
We don’t know how the angel spoke to Philip, but it was clear to him that he was to leave and go south toward Gaza. It must have seemed a bit counter intuitive for Philip to leave the thriving work he was doing to go to a desert area with few noticeable prospects. Reason would have said “Stay where you are!” but God knew more than Philip. He knew that the Ethiopian official would be traveling exactly at that time and that this man was open to the Good News.
There is nothing wrong with using our reason and insight in making plans – in fact it is the right thing to do. However, in the planning process we should never neglect to pray along the way and humbly ask God to lead us. There are times when our insight cannot see what God does, and our willingness to surrender to His leading will put us in a position to accomplish what He knows is best. Philip knew and understood the teaching of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all.” (The Message)
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