"How can I unless someone guides me?"--Ethiopian eunuch

This past Sunday in Sunday school when we got to the end of the lesson on Epiphany, I asked the class if there were any special prayer requests for the week.  One of the bravest men I know had one.  It kind of surprised me that he would have a prayer request because he really is a rock based in the foundation of Jesus Christ.  The reason I say this is that over the last several months he watched his wife slowly and painfully be destroyed by cancer.  Throughout this long ordeal he remained faithful, grace-filled, and loving.  When she did pass away, he continued to sing God's praises.  The Spirit of God shines through him even when he quietly sits towards the back of the room simply listening to the lesson.

Anyway, he had a prayer request this past week that has stuck with me for the last several days.  At some point over the Christmas season he traveled by airplane between Kentucky and Texas.  While on the flight he ran into a young man named Jordan.  Jordan was brought up with a bad home life.  He was abused and hurt many times throughout his childhood. I'm not sure about everything that he went through growing up, but I can safely bet that I will never face the things that he did.

Jordan recently had become a Christian.  I don't know any of the specifics, but he talked about the change that Christ had made in his life.  Apparently, he is really on fire for the Lord and is eager to go forth and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to others.  He was planning on starting with his family.  The same family that had abused him and shown very little love to him during his early years, he desperately wanted them to know Christ and to experience this life altering Spirit.





The story of Jordan reminded me of the Ethiopian eunuch that we read about in Acts 8.  That is the story where Philip runs into the Ethiopian court official as he was returning home to Ethiopia after worshiping in Jerusalem.  Since he was a eunuch, he would have been prohibited from fully joining in the worship assembly, but apparently he had done as much as he was allowed (see Deut 23:1).  We are not told much more about him other than the fact that he was seeking God and wanted to worship him.  When Philip encounters him, the Ethiopian is reading from a passage of Scripture.  Philip inquires if he knows who is reading about.  I love the reply, "How can I unless someone guides me?"  Philip jumps at the chance to proclaim the good news.  The Ethiopian is given a chance to hear the fullness of the truth of Scripture and is finally accepted for who he is, not what he is.  Because of Philip's obedience to the Spirit, the Ethiopian was baptized and returned to his country.  My guess is that he shared what he learned with others.




I believe that our brave friend was placed on that plane next to Jordan as an encourager and as a mentor to a young brother in Christ just like Philip was sent by the Lord to encounter the Ethiopian.  We didn't hear the entire conversation that took place between these two men, but I would loved to have been there to hear what was said.  I'm not sure if Jordan knows that there are people in Kentucky praying for him and his family right now, but there are.  My prayer is the Jordan will continue to grow and be strengthened in his faith.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will give him words to speak and will guide his actions as he spends time with his family.  I also pray that he will be given fathers and mothers in the faith to continue on his narrow way.

We never know when we will be called upon to guide someone along their faith journey or how our own testimonies will impact others.  I love to hear stories like these of men and women of faith guiding others along the way.  As you are going, make disciples...

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.