Blinded by Jesus!

This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.

Acts 9:15b-16

When God chose Saul to become the Apostle Paul He ushered Paul in to a life of greatness and grief, triumph and trouble, peace and persecution, praise and prison! It was a two sided coin. All the majesty of being the preeminent missionary brought with it pain and suffering on a truly life encompassing scale.

The story of Saul’s conversion is unique and it isn’t. Saul was seeking God, but persecuting Jesus. Saul was definitely an enemy of Christ and yet Jesus Himself stopped Saul in his tracks and presented him with an irresistible offer. The Bible doesn’t say so, but I suppose Saul was convinced that if he did not accept Jesus he would be blind the rest of his life. Of course a truly stubborn heart could have said, “I’d rather be blind than admit I was wrong.”

But Saul turned around on the road to Damascus and lived harder for Jesus than he had lived against Him.

For me the Damascus Road is not like Saul’s experience and yet it is the same. The Great Light of Jesus blinds me to everything except Him. After I see Jesus I can see nothing else clearly. It is as if like Saul I had been struck down and blinded by the light of Jesus. And then I am confronted with a “life direction” decision. Will I sit quietly, convinced that since I am now blind there is nothing I can do of any value? Or will I pray that God will send Ananias to touch my eyes and restore my sight so that I may embark on the journey God has chosen for my life?

Once you have been blinded by the Glory of Jesus on your Damascus Road, pray for Ananias to touch your eyes that you may see the new road that God has prepared for your life!