Imagine you were walking on a road. It’s a beautiful day outside, the temperature just perfect. The wind gently buffets you, bringing with it scents of nature and of the world around you. The sun is high in the sky–it’s almost noon, after all. It is a good day for walking, so you stride confidently on the road.
Then all of a sudden, a blinding light shoots down from the sky, and along with it, a voice that demands to know what you’re doing. Since this sudden brightness both blinds and surprises you, you stop and kneel quickly as your once-confident feet fail you. This sudden occurrence of events stuns you and your first impulse is to, naturally, find out who’s talking, so you ask, “Who are you?”
Imagine that voice replies, “I am Jesus.” It would be the last thing you would expect to hear, but there it is, unmistakably, a voice from the heavens. After identifying itself, the voice tells you to go to the place you were walking to and there someone will tell you what to do. Before you can ask another question, the light disappears. However, it doesn’t make any difference because then you discover that you’re blind. So, your friends who were with you help you up on your feet and take you to your destination. Several days later, someone, true to Jesus’ word, shows up and performs a miracle, allowing you to see again.
Would you be able to ignore something as amazing as that? Would you be able to label it as an odd experience and shrug it off? I would hope you wouldn’t. This wonderful thing happened to Saul (who becomes the well-known apostle Paul) on his journey to Damascus (see Acts 9 and 22). What’s even more shocking about it is that Saul was a notorious persecutor of the early Christians, hunting them down to murder them. After this experience, it’s an extreme understatement to say he wasn’t the same. He took on a new name and immediately began evangelizing among the Jews about the risen Christ.
This amazing turnabout is a great example of what’s possible for all of us when God intervenes. It may not be as dramatic as Saul’s conversion; I know mine didn’t include a bright ray of light, a voice from the sky and blindness–and it also wasn’t a one time-thing, but multiple times over the course of my life. But that shouldn’t stop us from taking the time to think about our life and recognizing the times when God stepped in while we were on our own personal roads to Damascus.
It is not just our responsibility to recognize when and where God speaks, but we must act accordingly. Imagine if Saul had ignored what the Lord had said and just continued down the road. There’s a very real possibility that the gospel wouldn’t have gotten as far as it would have because Acts 9:31 records that after Paul’s preaching “the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”
So, has God been telling you to read the Bible more? Do it. Get involved more in church? Do it. Give more? Do it. Work more? Do it. Listen to your wife? Do it. Be a better parent? Do it. Share Christ to someone in particular? Do it. Whatever it is, do it! There’s no limit to what we can achieve with God’s help!
But, we need to listen to Him and act when He asks. Please don’t dust yourself off and continue on the road like nothing happened.
– Matt
ActsconversionDamascusGodinterventionJesuslistenPaulroadSaulvoice
On the Road to Damascus
February 5, 2009
Calvary
Comments Off on On the Road to Damascus
Matt
Imagine you were walking on a road. It’s a beautiful day outside, the temperature just perfect. The wind gently buffets you, bringing with it scents of nature and of the world around you. The sun is high in the sky–it’s almost noon, after all. It is a good day for walking, so you stride confidently on the road.
Then all of a sudden, a blinding light shoots down from the sky, and along with it, a voice that demands to know what you’re doing. Since this sudden brightness both blinds and surprises you, you stop and kneel quickly as your once-confident feet fail you. This sudden occurrence of events stuns you and your first impulse is to, naturally, find out who’s talking, so you ask, “Who are you?”
Imagine that voice replies, “I am Jesus.” It would be the last thing you would expect to hear, but there it is, unmistakably, a voice from the heavens. After identifying itself, the voice tells you to go to the place you were walking to and there someone will tell you what to do. Before you can ask another question, the light disappears. However, it doesn’t make any difference because then you discover that you’re blind. So, your friends who were with you help you up on your feet and take you to your destination. Several days later, someone, true to Jesus’ word, shows up and performs a miracle, allowing you to see again.
Would you be able to ignore something as amazing as that? Would you be able to label it as an odd experience and shrug it off? I would hope you wouldn’t. This wonderful thing happened to Saul (who becomes the well-known apostle Paul) on his journey to Damascus (see Acts 9 and 22). What’s even more shocking about it is that Saul was a notorious persecutor of the early Christians, hunting them down to murder them. After this experience, it’s an extreme understatement to say he wasn’t the same. He took on a new name and immediately began evangelizing among the Jews about the risen Christ.
This amazing turnabout is a great example of what’s possible for all of us when God intervenes. It may not be as dramatic as Saul’s conversion; I know mine didn’t include a bright ray of light, a voice from the sky and blindness–and it also wasn’t a one time-thing, but multiple times over the course of my life. But that shouldn’t stop us from taking the time to think about our life and recognizing the times when God stepped in while we were on our own personal roads to Damascus.
It is not just our responsibility to recognize when and where God speaks, but we must act accordingly. Imagine if Saul had ignored what the Lord had said and just continued down the road. There’s a very real possibility that the gospel wouldn’t have gotten as far as it would have because Acts 9:31 records that after Paul’s preaching “the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”
So, has God been telling you to read the Bible more? Do it. Get involved more in church? Do it. Give more? Do it. Work more? Do it. Listen to your wife? Do it. Be a better parent? Do it. Share Christ to someone in particular? Do it. Whatever it is, do it! There’s no limit to what we can achieve with God’s help!
But, we need to listen to Him and act when He asks. Please don’t dust yourself off and continue on the road like nothing happened.
– Matt
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