Divine Appointments

“An Ethiopian, a eunuch … had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot’” (Acts 8:27-29).

This Ethiopian, who was actually treasurer for Candace, queen of Ethiopia, had been to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, looking to enter into a new way of living. He had come away still searching reading the Scriptures in his chariot.

The Lord instructed Philip to travel on this particular road so that he could encounter the Ethiopian man. He obeyed the Lord and when he saw the Ethiopian and went to speak to him, he saw the man reading from Isaiah 53:7: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so he opens not his mouth.”

The man asked Philip what the Scripture meant and Philip, discerning that the man’s heart was yearning for truth, launched into a full-scale explanation of the truth of Jesus Christ. “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (8:35).

The portion of Scripture the Ethiopian was reading from in the Old Testament talks about the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ. Philip was able to explain about God’s plan of salvation, baptism, a new kingdom in God — all the things that are absolutely, totally fulfilled in one Man — Jesus. The Ethiopian opened his heart and responded to the message and received eternal life.

When a faithful believer communicates the gospel to a willing heart, miracles take place. You may still be on a search to understand more about Jesus. If so, God will certainly answer the cry of your heart to learn more about him and bring someone to you. Or maybe the Lord will arrange a divine connection where you will be able to minister to someone else.