Divine Guidance
Listen.May 10th, 2009
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
It happened again the other day while I was praying. In fact it happens quite often. I will be in prayer for some situation or event that has touched my heart. After praying for a while, I begin to pray for others, especially those for whom I have told that I would hold them up in prayer. Names come in my mind and I pray…but then it happens. All of a sudden, as I am praying for one name another name pops into my head; a name that I simply cannot shake.
I have learned that if this happens I need to contact that person because it often means that the person whose name I can’t get off my mind is in the midst of a problem, a serious issue or even a health related situation. The call or visited happens at the right instant. Perhaps you have had the same thing happen.
I used to think it was simply a coincidence, but now I believe it was the working of the Spirit to grab my attention and move me to make that connection. This is a prompting by the Holy Spirit. But in order to be used by the spirit in significant ways we need to be open to this divine guidance. This prompting does not always happen to fit into a convenient time for me, but I have learned to be open and to adjust to the divine guidance of the Spirit.
This morning we want to consider our first reading for a few moments; the story in the book of Acts is about the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch; but even more to the point is the openness of the disciple Philip to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Divine guidance: Philip
As one of Jesus’ disciples, Philip was eager to spread the message of Christ to everyone and anyone he could find. He was a great evangelist for the gospel and he was open to the guidance of the Spirit. One thing Philip understood was that when one is open to the Spirit, the path in one’s life is not always predictable. This is seen dramatically in our reading. The angel of the Lord conveys the message to Philip that he should get up and toward the south to the road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. The text suggests it was a wilderness road; it was also a desert road. This was not the place to be in the daytime. However, in obedience and openness Philip went. Because of this obedient response to the angel’s message there would be an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On that desert road, Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopian was an important and powerful man. He was in charge of the entire treasury of the Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians. Not only was this man a foreigner, but racially he was different than Philip being a black man. He had a very responsible position in the government of Ethiopia and was the steward of the entire treasury of the Candace. Candace by the way is a title not the name of a person. In fact this title refers to a succession of Ethiopian queens. An interesting bit of trivia; tradition has it that the queen was converted to Christianity by this eunuch.
In this story, we also find out what the eunuch was doing in Jerusalem. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. This presents us with a bit of a problem. We are not sure of his religious background; whether he was a Greek speaking Jew, a convert to Judaism or simply a person who was searching. Had he been a Jew he would not have gotten into the temple. A castrated individual would not have been allowed in. What we do know is that this person was reading from the book of Isaiah but did not understand what he was reading. Again with the Spirit’s involvement, Philip was directed to engage the Ethiopian in conversation about the text. Philip did and pointed the man to Jesus as the fulfillment of what the prophet was reading.
As they were going along the road, the Ethiopian spotted some water and requested baptism right there and then. He was baptized and became a follower of Jesus at that time. Quite a conversion experience – all because Philip was open to the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The opportunity presented itself through the working of the Spirit and Philip responded with openness and flexibility in life to do what was asked of him. Philip could have said “no.” He didn’t have to listen to the prompting of the spirit, but then the eunuch would not have been converted to Christ nor would the queen and the kingdom would have been the poorer for it. Philip listened and the word spread.
Finally, in a miraculous manner, Philip found himself in the city of Azotus, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He would work his way north proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God all the way to Caesarea. Being open to the direction of the Spirit is certainly not predictable.
Divine guidance: ours
As I read through the passage, it occurred to me that each one of us needs to search deep inside of ourselves to ascertain if we are truly open to divine guidance, or are we so wrapped up in ourselves that the spirit doesn’t have a chance? Perhaps we are so overworked, so busy that we fail to both listen to the voice of the spirit or to act on the prompting of the spirit. If we are so preoccupied with our own problems, our own self-centered lives, then it is most likely that even if the spirit speaks to us we will not hear him. It’s like when the name or a face of a person comes into our minds and we do not act on it, rather we ignore the prompting and forget. God continues to speak to us, as with the people of scripture, our problem is that we pretend we are too sophisticated and put up walls to block the spirit’s work.
Therefore, this morning I would challenge each one of us to develop a period of quiet time each day for meditation and prayer; carve out a time when hearts are open to the prompting of God’s spirit. There is so much noise around us, so many voices calling for our attention that God’s spirit and our spirituality gets drowned out. Take the time for prayer and add Bible reading to you daily agenda. Focus on the Lord and his wishes for your life.
Then be ready to respond. Opportunities to be Christ’s presence in the lives of others will come. Seize those moments; share the faith; invite others in to a new and wonderful life in Jesus’ name.
Another difficulty that we may have in allowing the spirit to touch our hearts and move us to mission, is that we may not recognize that we are spiritually hungry. The Ethiopian was spiritually hungry. He knew that he needed God in some way in his life. He just wasn’t sure of God. Many of us have been Christian our entire life – life-long Lutherans even – and we do not acknowledge our spiritual hunger. Do we crave the presence of God in our lives?
Do we desire to see God’s hand at work in every circumstance? Are we standing available to do what the Lord wants us to do? There is an old statement that went, “If we are really believers in Jesus why are we such good insurance risks?” Are we hungry enough for God’s presence and guidance to step out; step beyond our security and live for Christ and his kingdom; perhaps something as simple as bringing someone to our Experience Worship tonight? If you know someone searching or hurting or struggling or hungry for God – make that bold effort to move beyond your own comfort zone for the sake of Jesus – listen to the prompting of the Spirit.
Spirit-filled life
There is a saying, “Blood is thicker that water.” Family ties are perhaps some of the strongest ties we have. On this Mother’s Day we certainly understand that. We know the problems that arise when a family is hit with death or separation; it’s devastating. However, this morning I want to turn that saying around and suggest that water is thicker than blood; not just any water, but the water of baptism that washes away our sin and brings us into the family of God. The baptismal water unites us in the family that is eternal. It is the water that brought the Ethiopian into the family of God. It is the water that transcends racial and ethnic lines. It is the water that cuts across geographical borders and across time itself.
We see in this water that the spirit comes and ushers into the family all who believe; even the outcasts of society. This water is God’s grace and mercy poured out on a person and through this baptismal water the spirit of God touches the hearts of a person and comes and lives with and in that person. Those of us baptized in Christ are part of the family and want to bring others into that wonderful family.
We may have disagreements with others in the family, but the spirit continues to call, gather and enlighten his people, according to Luther’s catechism. In this family, we open ourselves to the prompting of the spirit to guide and direct us in our relationships with each other and with the mission and ministry into which we are called. And that same spirit with Philip is with us today – the only question which remains is, are we open?
Conclusion
There were two women who were neighbors and belonged to the same congregation. However, one was extremely conservative while the other extremely liberal. It was so bad and so extreme that they did not speak to one another for over 20 years. At the death of the husband of the more conservative Christian, the liberal one went over to her neighbor, placed her arms around her and they both began to cry – then they went to the bedroom and began to pray together. The Spirit led this woman to reach out to the other in her time of despair and mourning. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she allowed the spirit to guide her. Divine guidance unites us in God’s love and moves us to share his word and his love with others. May that be so in our lives! Amen.