Reading But Not Understanding!

Scripture reading: Acts 8:26-40
Focus verse: Acts 8:29-31 – 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?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

Reading and understanding are two different things. I have observed how doctors write their prescriptions, though I can read what they write but I can't understand unless someone interprets it to me. You may carry the result of a doctors’ finding but you can’t understand unless he takes you through it. The doctors are trained to read and understand and prescribe with ease. A wrong understanding of a diagnosis can result into a wrong prescription and the result can be dangerous.

The Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scriptures from Isaiah but he was not understanding what he was reading. So he needed someone with understanding of what he was reading to come and help him understand. The Bible states that God through his Spirit sent Philip to go ahead of the eunuch to help him understand it. When asked by Philip if he was understanding that scripture, he confessed that he was not understanding what he was reading. He allows Philip to help him. The result of the discussion is a changed life. He accepted Jesus in his life and he was baptized.

What the world is going through today is a situation that the scholars can’t understand. The doctors have failed to interpret the happenings of the Covid-19 pandemic amongst many other world challenges. World leaders are crying foul of one another and we see a defeat in human efforts in understanding what they are witnessing today. In the midst of all this, we should be reminded of a God who can help us understand what we witnessing today. He understands all things and knows all our failures and limitations. He is our Emmanuel (God who lives with us) and is always willing to help us understand what seems so impossible for us. He patiently waits for an honest heart like that of the Ethiopian eunuch who stated that, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
Like with the eunuch, God will always come to our rescue when we invite him in. He may walk or pass closer to us but we must be willing to allow him enter our situation and help us overcome. When Peter was sinking in the storm he asked Jesus to help him and He exactly did that. Jesus patiently waited to hear Peter speak it out. During the days of Daniel when the writing on the wall could not be read by the magicians and astrologers, God read it through Daniel, Daniel 5:24-29. There is a God who understands all that is taking place in the world today. He created the world and there is nothing he doesn’t understand about it. His plans ways are perfect and his plans are still good no matter what happens.

written by

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
Kenya