Imagine walking along a dirt road on a journey of justification when a flash of light comes from the heavens and scares you and your companions. You drop to your knees and cover your head in fear of what might befall you. As you quiver on the ground, with your eyes squeezed shut and shaken to your core, you hear a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Saul, also known as Apostle Paul who wrote the majority of the new testament, was literally on a road to destruction. He traveled the road of Damascus on a self-imposed mission to destroy those who believed differently from him. As an educated and respected Jew, he was swollen with pride, academic knowledge, and self-righteousness that he felt gave him permission to persecute those who believed in Jesus Christ. He regarded his upbringing and education as clout that automatically granted his quest to demolish those who followed The Way.
The same man who stood by, smug and indignant, while people stoned Stephen, a leader and teacher of God’s word, was now rendered speechless and blind. Even though his eyes were open, he could no longer see. He was blind for three days, in a foreign place where no one cared about his achievements and those who did know him, knew him as a ruthless oppressor.
While his eyes were open and I imagine they blinked and moved around per the usual process, he had to fumble his way around his new residence and rely on the assistance of strangers. One particular stranger was Ananias, one of the leaders of Christ-followers in Damascus who Saul was targeting for imprisonment. In obedience to God, Ananias was sent to Paul to pray over him, restore his sight and baptize him.
You read that right. The very man that Paul was trying to destroy was the very man God used to open up his eyes and bring him to true salvation
God certainly knows how to get our attention, doesn’t he?
How many times have we, like Saul, forged ahead in our self-righteousness? Making decisions that we thought would get us to the place we thought we wanted or needed to be. Perhaps, it was that job that looked good, paid more and gave more autonomy. It would rid you of your annoying boss or get that annoying business partner off your back.
Or what about that promising relationship? He was cute, said all the right things and touched you in all the right ways, so you threw caution to the wind and went full-steam ahead into a new relationship. You didn’t ask any questions, use any wisdom or make any observations to see if there was any fruit on that tree.
Perhaps there was that new car or the latest tech gadget that you had to have. You knew you needed to save your money but the desire to have the latest arrival of technology was worth going into debt or depleting your savings account.
We’ve all had moments when we’ve been walking around with our eyes open but blind to the very things that God is trying to get us to see.
However, like Saul- there is hope for us yet. He has a resource ready to aid us, pray for us and offer assistance in our time of need. Whether it is through a person or revelation of the Holy Spirit, He will make known what we have failed to realize.
For example, that position you desperately wanted is actually going to be discontinued due to budget cuts. The reason why your boss is so hard on you is he/she is actually trying to prepare you for a new role which would be a bigger, better promotion than the one you thought you wanted.
Or, that guy that you think is so cute and gives you butterflies every time you see him? He has actually slept with half the community and instead of getting butterflies, you would get an STD if you didn’t heed the word of his last conquest who sent you a DM on social media to warn you about his deceitful ways.
That tech gadget that you just had to have? You were going to drop it in the street and it would get destroyed before you even had a chance to use it for a full week.
God is always trying to open our eyes so we stop being physically and spiritually blind. He wants to infuse us with His word and allow us to see the greater things He has for us. He desires that we look to Him, not follow our self-righteous, limited perspectives. He wants us to seek Him instead of following the fleeting desires of our emotions.
While a flash of lightning on a dirt road may not be the method He uses, a strong urge in the pit of your stomach or a word of wisdom from an unlikely source could be his method of choice. Spend time in prayer and read His word so your eyes can be opened to whatever His method may be. Seek Him in order to stay off the road of destruction. Heed the words of warning and listen to that still, steady voice.
He wants to give us sight . . . if we’ll let Him.
Are your eyes open?
