You Want Me to Go Where?

In Christian “lingo” we often use phrases like “God called me to …..”  I’ve used the phrase myself and I think it has some validity though it might sound strange to those who are not familiar with typical Christian words.  I remember meeting a missionary to the island of Aruba.  As he began his presentation of his ministry in the island paradise he said, “Hey, someone has to go”.  In the midst of a cold and snowy day a call to Aruba sounds like one I’d like to answer…(not really, I like it here in central PA).

Anyway, in the middle of a very successful ministry in the city of Samaria, where we read that demons are being cast out, sick people are being healed and people are coming to Jesus to the point where there is “great joy in the city”; we read Acts 8:26:  “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  This is desert.”  Now, that word “desert” could also be translated “a deserted place”.   Either way, God is taking Philip from a successful ministry where things are hopping and happening and taking him to a lonely desert road without even the mention of why he is going there.  I can’t help but wonder if Philip said out loud or at least thought to himself, “You want me to go where?  God, don’t you see that great things are happening here?  Don’t you understand that I am doing a really great job here?”  I think that’s what I would have said or thought.

But God does it.  He moves Philip.  Tomorrow, we will see what happens but for now we’ll focus on Philip’s obedience to the Lord.  Philip agrees with God and goes where God tells him to go.  That way I’ve expressed this is that Philip allows God to determine the “radius and the relevance” of his “reach”.  Am I willing to do that?  Are you willing to do that?  Or, does our agenda get in the way of God’s plan for our lives?  Are we restricting God in how He can use us because we have ruled out certain places or people from the list of places we would go or people we would see?  We can’t do that.  If we do that, we stand a good chance of missing out on so much of God’s activity.   Let God determine the radius and relevance of your reach.  You won’t be disappointed!