MAY 25, 2020 GOD GETS SAUL’S ATTENTION!
Acts 9:The Road to Damascus (Acts 22:1-21; Acts 26:1-23)
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 to ask for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
5“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and he did not eat or drink anything.
Saul had watched Stephen die and he had been GLAD! That’s the only kind of death a heretic deserved anyway! Having driven the Christians in Jerusalem into hiding or out of town, Saul now wanted to move on to Damascus. This was Saul’s big chance to firm up his reputation as a defender of the faith. But things didn’t work out the way Saul intended.
Suddenly, a heavenly light flashed around Saul and Jesus spoke to him. None of Saul’s companions saw that light, although they did hear the voice. But when Saul picked himself up and tried to open his eyes, all that he saw was darkness. Saul’s companions had to lead him by the hand into Damascus. Saul was shaken to the core! He had been so sure that he was correct! Was it possible that this Jesus really was the Son of God, the Messiah?
Saul was a passionate scholar who had memorized the Torah and the Haftorah as a boy. In addition, Saul had spent years under the tutelage of Gamaliel learning all of the commentaries that the Jews had compiled during their years of exile in Babylon. Now in the darkness, Saul found himself scanning all that he had ever studied, particularly the Messianic prophecies. And what was it that Gamaliel, his teacher in Jerusalem, had said? At one point, Saul had been quizzing Gamaliel when Gamaliel surprised Saul by looking at him with those wise smiling eyes of his. “Saul,” Gamaliel had asked, “what if Jesus really was the Messiah? What if this move really is of God? What would you do if you found out that you were actually opposing God?” And Saul had had no answer. Now in the darkness, Gamaliel’s words found their place in Saul’s heart. If Jesus was not the Messiah, then where had that light come from? Where had that voice come from? And why had Saul been suddenly struck blind?
Finally, after three days of darkness, a light began to shine in Saul’s heart. “No matter what I thought previously,” Saul mused, “I must have been wrong.” And it was just after Saul had reached this conclusion that God sent a believer to minister to Saul.
There are times in our lives when God uses a crisis to get our attention, and frankly, this process is generally not a pleasant one. Had Saul been asked ahead of time if he was willing to be struck blind for three days, he would have probably shouted, “NO!” And yet, God used that temporary blindness to change Saul’s mind and heart.
Today, many of us are facing unpleasant circumstances. The things we thought we could count on have failed us and we don’t know which way to turn. But we can rest assured that God is still on the throne and that He still has control over our lives. Why was Saul blind for three days? We don’t know, but it’s likely that that was the amount of time it took for Saul to have a change of heart. God’s timing is perfect, and as soon as Saul was ready, God sent someone to help lead him into a new life, healing his blindness at the same time. Today, trust that God is working in your life, even in the bad stuff. Keep watching and God will show up when you least expect Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you use all kinds of circumstances to reach us. We lift up the problems we are facing and we place them in your hands. Lord, help us to trust you and to look for your divine answers, and thank you in advance for those answers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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