April 16, 2009 - Acts 8:39

“When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:39.
On their journey together, the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip spotted water and stopped, so that Philip could baptize the eunuch. He had become convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited-for Messiah and was ready to do whatever was necessary to be His follower. So they stopped and he was baptized. As they came out of the water, Philip was taken away by the Holy Spirit and was not seen by the eunuch again. The eunuch did not seem to be surprised, since he went on his way rejoicing.
It seems that when he came out of the water, he experienced a joy and freshness in his life that he may never have experienced before, and he did not seem to mind that Philip was no longer there. He also could have seen Philip being carried away by the Spirit and realized the significance of the event, and, because of that, rejoiced at this manifestation of God’s power and presence. In any event, Philip being taken away by the Spirit was an event that was wrapped up in wonder, awe, and mystery.
There is part of me that would like to figure this out. How did the Holy Spirit actually carry Philip away? What did that whole situation look like? It is just like me to want to know exactly how it happened, instead of enjoying the supernatural mystery of the event. God, in His purposes, decided that Philip was the right person to be transported from this spot in the desert to another location and that it needed to be done right away. And I need to be comfortable with this unexplained mystery in the Scriptures.
Questions to consider: How comfortable are you with the mysteries in the Bible? How comfortable are you concerning the mysteries that occur in your life?
Prayer: Father, thank You for being a God that doesn’t feel it necessary to explain everything. Help me to be comfortable with not being able to know and understand it all. Help me to be comfortable with mystery. Amen.