Acts 8:27-31, “A man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and overtake this chariot. So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me?”

Several years ago, a friend and I were walking part of the Appalachian Trail. We met two men who looked like they were prepared for a long hike, which, as it turns out, they were. We stopped to chat. During our conversation, they discussed everything a person needed for a long hike. At one point, one of them said, “We have everything we need. We even have a bottle of Jack Daniels.” Almost before I knew it, I said in a polite and non-confrontational way, “No, if you had Jesus, you wouldn’t need Jack Daniels.” It kind of stunned them, but the conversation did not become negative. It was like it struck a chord deep in their hearts. After a few seconds, the conversation continued. We talked for several more minutes before wishing each other well and continuing our respective hikes. After a few minutes, I noticed my friend had not said anything. I turned around and saw tears streaming down his face. I asked him what was wrong. He said, “There’s nothing wrong. I was just thinking about those two men. Later today, when they stop and set up camp, they will probably pull out that bottle of Jack Daniels, and when they do, they will hear you saying, “If you had Jesus, you wouldn’t need Jack Daniels.”

God told Phillip to go on a hike. Phillip didn’t know where or why; he just obeyed God. On a desert road that led to Gaza, he met an Ethiopian official returning home from Jerusalem. He was reading what turned out to be a passage of scripture from the Book of Isaiah. Seeing an opportunity to witness, Phillip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The man responded by saying, “No, tell me please.” Philip explained that the passage was talking about Jesus, the Son of God, who came to die for our sins. The eunuch believed and accepted Jesus as his Savior, and Philip baptized him.

My story didn’t end with a baptismal service, at least that day, but who knows what may have happened down the road. Every day, the Holy Spirit opens doors of opportunity for us to witness. Phillip could have just ignored the Ethiopian, but he didn’t. I could have just waved at the men on the Appalachian Trail and kept walking, but I didn’t. God can use us in ways we may not consider, but if we are listening for His voice, we never know who we may meet on the trail of life.