Acts 8:25-31 :

They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”

He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”

Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

When we listen to the voice of God, our work is never meaningless, that’s for sure. I really love how Philip responded to the angel here. When the angel spoke to him, he didn’t wonder about it or brag to others about it. Instead, he got up and did what he was told. Not only that, when the Spirit told Philip to catch up to the chariot, Philip ran! That’s the kind of willingness we have when the Holy Spirit is empowering us. That’s the kind of power that we need to live every day of our Christian lives.

Notice, however, that the Spirit didn’t tell Philip everything. When he heard the man reading from Isaiah, Philip asked him if he understood it without being told what to do. God was working with his natural will and personality. The Holy Spirit doesn’t put you out of your mind and take over your body in order to get things done. The Holy Spirit is the Creator of our bodies. He knows exactly how they work and He knows every little thing about our wonderful, and sometimes not so wonderful, personalities. He can use all of these things like a conductor directs the orchestra, if we will allow Him.

Philip was willing to give his life over to the Holy Spirit and take whatever orders He gave. That’s something good for us to take from this account.