God tells me to do things frequently. No, not in an audible voice, but in the Bible and through other believers’ actions. God communicates with us in so many different ways, and in the same ways, He will often instruct us to do things that make precious little sense. Have you ever experienced that? When He tells you (and it’s undoubtedly Him) to give money you don’t have, to go somewhere you can’t afford, to help someone you don’t like?
Many times there is an urgency to it. He wants us to do it now. Don’t hesitate. Just do it. Just jump in and swim. Have you ever thought about the reason why?
Stone path by the Pink House at Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, CO
Today’s verse is Acts 8:26.
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Philip doesn’t get talked about a lot, but he was one of Christ’s original disciples. And in this chapter (if you have a chance, you should read the whole thing), we get to see Philip at work. But starting in verse 26, an angel pops up in Philip’s path and tells him to leave.
Leave? Well, if you read the preceding verses, you’ll see that Philip already has a remarkable ministry going on where he is. He’s working in Samaria, and many lives are being changed, and there’s no point to his leaving. But the angel tells him to go anyway.
And what does he do?
He leaves.
There’s no verse between saying that he went home and packed. There’s no verse that indicates he argued or that he told anyone else that he was going. There was no hesitation. Verse 26 says an angel tells him to leave; verse 27 says he left.
And on the way, he met a man, an Ethiopian. This guy was apparently pretty important according to this passage, and he was sitting in his carriage reading the Book of Isaiah. And basically, to cut a long devo short, Philip takes the opportunity to lead this man to Christ.
If Philip had waited, if he had hesitated, if he had refused to go, he would never have encountered this man. And there are some people who believe this man returned to Ethiopia and spread the gospel throughout that country. And if Philip hadn’t introduced him to Jesus, that never would have happened.
There are no coincidences in life. Monumental events don’t just happen; they are designed. God has all the details worked out, and we just need to trust that when He tells us to do something now, there’s a reason for it. It may not make sense to us, but it makes sense to Him, and that’s what matters.
If you wait, you may miss the appointment God has set up for you.
Again, God has everything under control, so even if you do miss something, He’ll pick up the slack. But nothing will stop you from missing the blessing you could have gotten if you had jumped when He said to jump.
God doesn’t ask us to do things just to watch us scurry around like crazy people. He has a plan. He has a story. And He wants to give us the opportunity to play a part in the story that is changing people’s hearts. It’s our choice to participate, but I promise you that there is no greater joy than seeing someone else draw near to Christ.
So if God has told you to change something in your life, whether it is your perspective or your opinion or your location or your vocation or whatever, do it. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t wait until you are ready. Just do it. If you don’t, you might be late for the appointment God has already set for you. And while it won’t be the end of the story, it might be the end of your opportunity to make a difference.
Always Peachy 