The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about . . . ?”

— Acts 8:34

At Cove Mountain on the Appalachian Trail I had shelter from an all-night rain. The next morning I was back on the trail. No one needed to tell me where to go. I headed north, as I did every other day of my three-week trek.

Philip, however, whom the Spirit called in our story today, had instructions on where to go. An angel of the Lord told Philip to go south to the desert road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. There Philip met an Ethiopian official who was returning home from Jerusalem. The Spirit then led Philip to stay near the man and to help him understand a passage he was reading from Isaiah. Philip explained that the passage was about Jesus, the Son of God, who came to die for our sin, and then Philip baptized the Ethiopian, just as the man asked him to do.

Through his Spirit and the Word, the Lord still commands us everyday. God calls us to walk in his ways, loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Does God speak to us in other ways, such as the way he spoke to Philip? God certainly can speak to us in dramatic ways, but more often the Spirit of God speaks to us in quiet, subtle ways through his Word and with the help of other believers (like Philip). We should always be following God’s Word and listening for his voice, especially as he nudges us to share the love of Jesus.

Lord Jesus, help us to listen for your voice and to share your love with the people we meet every day. Amen.