Unpredictable Leading

The leading of the Spirit is often hard for us to discern.  We are creatures of the status quo and moving out from under its umbrella of comfort and security can often be a difficult task.  When we like where we are and the way life is treating us, it is hard to think that God might want it all to end for something which will be filled with the discomfort and the uncertainty of the new.  I remember one appointment where I probably stayed a year too long.  There were some stirrings of the Spirit within me telling me it was time to leave, but things were going well in the place I was serving and so I stayed.  I should have realized back then that sometimes God leads us away from the places where life is comfortable to a new place that we might grow in our trust in Him.    

A character in the book of Acts who does not always get his time on the Biblical stage is Philip.  His story is told in chapter 8 of this writing about the Spirit moving the church into its future.  The part of the story which gets the most attention is his evangelistic ministry with the Ethiopian eunuch.  An equally amazing story precedes that part of the story.  Verse 5 of Acts 8 says, "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them"  Philip faithfully preached Christ, the people listened, the Spirit was at work and a great revival broke out in that place.  It was such a revival that the Church in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to check it out.    

When the two Apostles returned to Jerusalem with their report of a great work of the Holy Spirit, an unpredictable thing happened.  An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Get up and go.."  (Acts 8:26)  Not only was Philip told to leave the place of a great revival, but he was told go down a lonely wilderness road.  At this juncture in the story, the Word says, "So he (Philip) got up and went."  (Acts 8:27)  From the excitement of a mighty revival to a deserted wilderness road is where the Spirit led Philip.  The leading of the Spirit is not always what we think it should be and often times it is full of surprises and the unpredictable.