Philip is told to venture ‘south to the

Philip is told to venture ‘south to the road – the desert road – that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza’
Acts 8
The very fact that Luke the author, mentions and highlights that this is ‘the desert road’ as a kind of aside, underlies the strangeness of such a command.

Philip has just come from Samaria, where he has been involved in major successful evangelism, and is now being led down a desert road, a road that to Philip would have seemed pretty inappropriate for any further Christian work.

The Message bible describes it as ‘a desolate road’. Nobody would be on this road, because it is thought that the phrase ‘Go south to’ is translated in Greek as ‘at noon’, and the message bible actually uses the phrases ‘at noon today’. Noon time the road would be deserted of travellers because of the heat.

For Philip this seems a strange instruction, he is being called to walk down the most unlikely of roads, ‘a lonely road’. From great success to seemingly nothing.

Why?
Because God has someone there that he wants Philip to meet. And Philip’s meeting with the Ethiopian is a life changing one, not just for the Ethiopian Eunuch but the community to which he goes back to. His life is transformed by Jesus, and so he goes back to his community and tells them about his experience, and their lives are transformed.

A desert, desolate, lonely road. A road of unimportance. A road which looked insignificant. But a road that led to greatness. One road, one meeting, a transformation takes place, all God’s deliberate purpose.
The road you’re on maybe a road like Philips’, desolate, and lonely. You may question God as to why you’re on this road. It seems to you inappropriate.
But keep going as it will lead to Gods purpose. It will become clear.
Mission is not exciting all the time.