Running Toward the Holy Spirit - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 16
Running Toward the Holy Spirit
By Deidre Braley
Bible Reading:
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. - Acts 8:26-31
I live on a small, private lane with only two other houses, and today, I missed an opportunity to love my neighbor well.
Here’s how it happened: It was lunchtime, so I took a break from my desk, pulled on my sneakers, and stepped outside to take our dog for a walk. We took a stroll down the lane, and when we walked by our neighbor’s house, I noticed he was outside on his deck, grilling his lunch.
The Spirit nudged me, saying, “Go up and say hello.” Now, I wish I could say I zipped right up his driveway and popped in for a friendly chat, but do you know what I did instead? I said, “Lord, I don’t think that was you, right? I don’t have much time. I don’t want to bother him. He probably doesn’t even want to talk to me.” And then I walked right past his driveway and continued on with my day.
But as I walked, I could feel the Spirit continue to nudge me. I knew he had spoken to me—and that he had wanted to use me—but I had refused. I didn’t know why he had wanted me to say hello to my neighbor, but I had a sense that it was important. I resolved that if he was still outside when we got back from our walk, I’d go up and say hi. But when we returned, he was already gone.
How should we respond when we feel the Spirit prompting us? The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts may lead us to believe that the answer is…immediately!
In this story, the apostle Philip—following the leading of the Lord—went down into the desert. While he was there, a chariot passed by, carrying a court official of the Ethiopian queen. In this moment, the Spirit nudged Philip, saying, “Go over and join this chariot” (Acts 8:29). Now, did
Philip hem and haw and say, “Lord, I don’t know this man, so may I please just go on with my day?” Of course not. Rather, Scripture says that “Philip ran to him” (Acts 8:30, emphasis mine).
Even before he knew what God would have him say to this man—or why he was asking him to interact with him in the first place—Philip responded in immediate obedience. He heard the word “go,” and so he ran.
When he got to the chariot, he found that the Ethiopian was reading the book of Isaiah and—lo and behold—could not understand it because he’d had no one to explain it to him (Acts 8:30-31). Philip’s purpose immediately became clear, but it was only after he followed the prompting of the Spirit to approach the man in the first place.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
So what does this teaching mean for us?
It’s simple, really. When we feel the prompting of the Spirit to talk to someone, to smile, to pay for a stranger’s coffee, to drop off a meal, we needn’t hem and haw and wonder whether he’s really asked us to do it. These are all opportunities to love our neighbors well, and so we can respond in the same way Philip did: we can run. The Spirit will give us the information we need as we go along; our job is only to listen and follow.
If you are truly conflicted about whether the Spirit has asked you to move, it’s okay to ask. You can say a simple prayer, like, “God, was that you? Are you asking me to [insert what you felt the Spirit nudging you to do]?” Then, wait and listen. The Spirit is faithful to respond.
Further Reading:
Acts 10
Acts 13:1-12
Acts 27
Today, consider reading other stories from the book of Acts when God’s people listened and responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Samuel Silitonga
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