In the story of the Ethiopian who is baptized by the road in Acts, we find Philip to be obedient, flexible, and open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
So it must be said. Most days, I look nothing like Philip.
If the angel of the Lord had said to me—and not Philip—to get up and go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, I would have demanded to know what this was all about before I moved an inch. I might have checked my calendar to check my availability, but it's doubtful with so little information up-front.
It's a good thing, therefore, that Philip was asked and not me. When directed to go to the south road, Philip went. And when he arrived, the Holy Spirit led him to a nearby chariot where he would find a man from Ethiopia.
You may recall from the story that while the Spirit guides the encounter, God does not script the dialogue. Upon being faithful, Philip takes a risk on his own. He chooses to engage the man in the chariot by asking him if he understands what he is reading. Philip's faithful risk, as we know, opens the door for further conversation, and he shares with the Ethiopian what he knows about God's love in Jesus.
So if you're keeping score, Philip obeys the Spirit's command to go to the crossroad, then willingly yields to the Spirit's instructions to engage someone ready to receive the Gospel.
Would the Ethiopian have had the chance to say, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" if I had been tapped with Philip's assignment? I'm not so sure. I tend to prefer order, routines, schedules, and outlines. But the Spirit requires space, doesn't He? For the Holy Spirit to be heard and obeyed, Philip had to be open, available, and attuned to God's voice.
How about you? If the Spirit had asked you to go somewhere, and speak to someone, and share openly, would you have been obedient?
I sometimes wonder how many times an Angel of the Lord and the Spirit of God has had to intervene to get something accomplished in this world. How many women did Gabriel have to go to before Mary said yes to God's invitation ("Let it be to me according to your word"), and how many times did the angel have to ask followers to go to the crossroads before Philip said yes?
Although I hope this is not the case, I suspect your life looks more like mine than Philip's.
Our lives have little space to breathe, don't they? Our minds and our hearts, our calendars, and our inboxes are cluttered with important matters. And although we may wish it were not the case, the work of the Holy Spirit may get drowned out by our complicated agendas and good intentions.
The Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention.
Shasta. My middle name is Philip. You'd think I'd have learned this by now.