Ears To Hear

EARS TO HEAR

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.

And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

He was humiliated and received no justice.

Who can speak of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north. . . . He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

Philip was one of the seven men, along with Stephen, appointed to care for the widows in the early-church community (see Acts 6:1-7), yet in this passage, we see Philip sent out with a task that God would reveal only as it presented itself. We don’t know whether approaching a chariot with a foreign finance official inside would have been within Philip’s comfort zone. Given what we do know, it seems unlikely. But the Holy Spirit empowered him and gave him the words and boldness he needed to share the gospel about Jesus with the Ethiopian eunuch, who became the first foreign Christ follower recorded in Scripture. With Holy Spirit–prompted words and Holy Spirit–empowered boldness, we too can overcome any fears we might have to share the good news about Jesus with anyone on our paths.

• Read this passage again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• What fears or concerns do you feel when God prompts you to have a spiritual conversation with a stranger? What underlies those fears or concerns? How might you overcome them in order to allow the Holy Spirit to use you?
• When you believe you have heard God “whisper” to you—whether through Scripture, in your heart, through other people, or in some other way—how do you typically respond? With whom do you share what you’ve heard to help you discern whether it is from God and what your next steps should be?

Father, thank you that by your Holy Spirit, you speak to me. Thank you that you are still sending your followers out to share the good news about Jesus. I want to be someone who is open to hearing and responding to your callings and divine assignments. Give me ears to hear you and courage to obey as Philip did. Help me discern your voice and seek guidance from wise friends or mentors when I’m unsure of your direction. May I always act in love and point those I encounter to you. Amen.