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- Obedience brings miracles
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.
How awkward it must have been to be the Ethiopian eunuch. One moment, this stranger approaches your caravan and overhears your scriptural reading. You strike up a conversation, he shares the Gospel, you agree to be baptized, you plunge in the water, come up and… poof…. you’re alone.
How startling it must have been to be Philip, too. Philip was probably used to the miraculous, but to be unexpectedly transported would still be shocking. Despite that experience, Philip gets his bearings straight and stays the missionary course.
But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
Philip started on a southward journey, only to end up north again. His journey starts out in Samaria as
But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get ready and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
Philip headed south with no destination—only a message from an angel. Without Philip’s obedience, this story would not have happened. Without this experience, who knows how that would have limited the Gospel’s expansion into Africa.
God wants our trust
It is good to plan. Planning helps your business grow. Planning prepares everyone in your organization to work constructively together towards a common goal.
But it can be bad to hold to your plans so dearly that you cannot be bothered by the “inconvenience” of God’s plans. We must trust that God’s omniscience is greater than our best-laid plans. Making a choice to distrust God carries far greater consequences.
If we decide to go our own way, God will remove His blessing and allow us to reap the consequences of our ignorance.
Consequences of distrust
When the Old Testament Israelites were expecting to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the people did not trust God’s promise. In the face of fortified cities, they rebelled against God’s plan and threatened to stone Moses and Aaron.
And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst?”
Their disobedience cost them another 40 years in the desert.
When the Northern Kingdom of Israel was paying the Assyrians not to attack them and then plotted to overthrow their superiors, they sought the help of the Egyptians instead of seeking help from God.
But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea [King of Northern Kingdom, not to be confused with prophet Hosea], who had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had then brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria arrested him [Hoshea] and confined him in prison. Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and went up to Samaria [capital city of Northern Kingdom] and besieged it for three years.
So Ephraim [alternative name for Northern Kingdom] has become like a gullible dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
The disobedience of the king of Israel cost him his freedom and many of his citizens their lives.
If we decide to go our own way, God will remove His blessing and allow us to reap the consequences of our ignorance.
Free Will ≠ Best Choice
Trust in the Lord, your God. Take greater steps of faith. This does not mean jumping from the cliffs you want and asking God to catch you at your will; instead, read God’s Word, pray, and give Him silent time to speak to you. Make the leaps of faith from the proverbial cliffs He wants you to pursue. He is faithful to provide.
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