“As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:26-39 NLT
You would think it is crazy, but we never go that way. There is a neighborhood just one block away from our home with its quiet streets which make a nice circle for pet walking. But we rarely walk there because it requires walking along or across a busy road. However, with several people playing sports on the fields near the school where we typically walk, I led Famous back into this seldom seen subdivision.
As soon as we reached the first homes, I noticed neighbors standing in the lawn and wondered if they might not care for strangers walking through their property. But as we passed I recognized one of them and called out to him. As soon as he heard my name, he recognized me, but so did the neighbor to whom he was speaking! They both came over to greet Famous and me, and we had a wonderful reunion until well after the sun had set.
Are we open each day to the “coincidences” which fall our way each day? I believe it was more than a chance meeting when I picked that evening to walk in that neighborhood, to see a colleague whom I had not seen in twenty years who just happened to be talking to another former acquaintance who, by the way, had just moved into her home. Friendships were rekindled, and even new friendships were made as my friends had a golden retriever named “Deacon” for Famous to meet.
Help me learn to recognize the clues of Your guidance in my life today, dear Lord.
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