Divine Appointments

  Many of the early Christians seemed to hear God clearly speak to them.  Monday we looked at Saul who heard Jesus speak to him on the road to Damascus.  Today (Acts 8:26-40) we see that Philip hears the Lord tell him to take a certain road.  Taking that road, he hears the Lord again speaking and telling him to go over to a particular chariot.  In the chariot he finds an Ethiopian Jew reading from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet.
  Some people refer to this as a "divine appointment".  It's an appointment God has written on his calendar, but we don't have written on ours.  The way to learn of these appointments or opportunities  is to be listening to God on a daily basis.  It also takes guts.  Philip had to trust that he was hearing God, leave what he was doing, and act on what he heard.  If he wasn't hearing God, he might have felt foolish going off somewhere else, waiting by the road and wasting time.  But if he hadn't followed the first instruction, he never would have heard the second one, and he would have missed the appointment.

  For reflection:  Am I listening for possible divine appointments?  When I hear an instruction from the Lord, will I follow it?
  Let us pray.  Holy Spirit, move in me.  Move in my spirit.  Open me to your voice, your promptings.  I want to be accustomed to the sound of your voice guiding me each day.

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