Obedience As Worship
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 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, 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. 36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. – Acts 8:26-27, 35-38 NLT
Casting Crowns’ song “Desert Road” captures the spirit of someone walking the God-honoring path of humility and obedience to God. Lead singer Mark Hall found inspiration for this song from the story in Acts 8:26-40 when Philip obeyed the angel of the Lord. In this story, Philip is led to share Christ with an Ethiopian government official. This encounter was significant for a few reasons.
1. Philip was led away from a familiar place of highly productive ministry to an unknown desolate place; he obeyed without knowing why or what to expect.
2. The official was heavily guarded. Philip took a significant safety risk in approaching this official to help him learn of Jesus.
3. God used Philips’s courageous obedience to minister the gospel and lead the Ethiopian official to a relationship with God through Christ. He was even able to baptize him right there on the spot.
It reminds me of a time in my own life when the Lord called me and my family to live and serve in a place we didn’t know or like. We were moving from a big city to the third-best town in the country for farming. What a huge change! City meets country. It was, at the very least, unpleasant. After we moved, I cried for three days because I was now serving in a place that was never part of my plan.
However, through this strange relocation experience, God reminded me of what true worship looks like. Be willing to follow Him wherever He leads and not get overwhelmed by all the things we don’t understand.
I was learning to trust God even when I could not understand Him. I could feel God’s presence and peace with me during this transition. He proved to me that His love was trustworthy and that I could respond in faith.
One of the lines in the song reads:
It’s not the path I would’ve chosen
But I’ll follow You to the end
Lord, as long as I am breathin’
I will make Your glory known
Even if it means I’m walkin’
On this desert road
Do you ever feel like you are walking through a desert? I sure did. My heart was full of hope that God would do something great, but it was also thirsty for insight or understanding. Still, I began to see God’s hand helping and using me at every step. My hope was in Christ and that He could be praised through my struggle. Eventually, we found our ‘niche,’ and things began to feel less foreign. I started making friendships that have lasted for over 17 years. We learned what it looked like to love God and to worship Him through our simple obedience.
When the song says, “I’ll follow You to the end, even if it means I’m walking on this desert road,” it reveals a willingness to follow the Lord and obey His will no matter what happens. When we follow Christ, He sometimes leads us to places we would never choose for ourselves. But the faithful believer worships the Lord through difficult obedience, knowing that God’s plan may not always be an easy path, but ultimately it will be a blessed one.
Dig Deeper
1. Read Acts 8:26-40. What was the result of Philip’s obedience for the Ethiopian official mentioned in verse 39?
2. Is there something that you feel the Holy Spirit is asking you to do that seems difficult or hard to understand? Identify what that is and pray and ask the Lord to help you obey His will in that area of your life. Find another believer to share and pray with about this decision.
