Ready

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:30-31 (NASB)

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. Acts 8:35 (NASB) I absolutely love this story (Acts 8:26-40). I've been reading it for several days, and will probably be in it again tomorrow. There are so many things that draw me to this story.

• Philip's sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
• The fact that God sent an angel to give Philip specific direction.
• Philip's unquestioning and immediate obedience, such that timing was perfect.
• The eunuch being right where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there.
• The fact that Philip was ready.

It's those last two that really got me this morning. First of all, Philip was not responsible to make sure that the person he was to meet was there. In fact, Philip wasn't even told what he was supposed to do or who he was supposed to meet. He was just told to be on the road. He was never told to reach a specific destination - just to be on that road. It was God's job to arrange the meeting. It was God's job to take care of the eunuch. Philip was just called to be obedient. So often I don't just obey. I have to try to ensure that everyone else is obeying, too. Otherwise, how in the world can God work in their situations? How am I to be useful if the person I am to talk to doesn't get to the right place at the right time? Guess what? It's not my job!!! It's God's. I want to live like that. Secondly, Philip had no idea who he was going to encounter or what type of teaching that person might need. He had no clue who he would meet. He just went, and he was ready. He was ready with an understanding of Messianic prophecies in Scripture. It is easy to step back and say, "Oh, when I have need, the Holy Spirit will guide me." On the other hand, it's easy to study, study, study and rely on the results of that studying alone - my own human understanding of Scripture. There must be a balance. I must have a balance. I need to be very familiar with the Word and I need to be very sensitive to the Lord's leadership as I study and learn. God has granted both His Word and His Spirit, and I need to be growing in both. Essentially, today, I was challenged to just be ready. Be ready by growing in the Word. Be ready by being willing to be where God has placed me. Be ready without manipulating the readiness of others. Just be ready to be used.