I wear glasses. Therefore, I don’t have the luxury of opening my eyes in the morning and having clear vision. Instead, people and objects are increasingly blurry until I either slide my glasses on or pop my contacts in.
For those who have the luxury of seeing clearly when you wake up, can you imagine having clear vision one moment and then being blind the next?
This happened to Apostle Paul when he was on the road to Damascus (Acts chapter 9). At this time, his name was Saul and Homeboy was a ruthless Jew on a journey to persecute anyone who believed in Christ and considered themselves followers of The Way.
As he approached Damascus for this unrighteous mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. He fell to the ground and Jesus asked why he was persecuting Him.
Picture it: Saul is crouched down on the ground, freaking out, squeezing his eyes shut, and wondering what in the world was happening to him. He hears this voice who knows him by name and instructs him to go into the city and wait to be told what he must do. When he picks himself up off the ground to follow these instructions and opens his eyes, he’s blind. That’s right- he couldn’t see a thing. Nada. Nothing at all.
What would you do if you were in Saul’s place? Imagine being on your way to participate in some unlawful activity but then a voice from heaven interrupts your plans and suddenly, you can’t see a thing.
I can’t count the number of times I have gone down a road thinking I’m doing the “right” thing when, realistically, I needed a God-sized intervention to stop me from harming myself and others. I wish it would be as obvious as a light shining down from heaven and Jesus audibly calling me out on my nonsense.
Saul’s story encourages me because God had a sovereign plan for his life. While Saul was being led into the city by his fellow travelers, Jesus was instructing a believer by the name of Ananias to lay hands on Saul and deliver him from this blindness. However, Saul had no idea this was happening. He was just blind, not eating or drinking anything while waiting for God’s instructions.
Ananias laid hands on Saul and then prayed for him to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.”
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of a blood-washed believer laying hands on you for prayer in obedience to the Lord, you know the power of deliverance in prayer. It can be a life-changing interaction just as it was for Saul.
When I experienced this deliverance, I believe scales of unforgiveness, lust, shame, and disappointment fell from my eyes. Even in my single season, scales of envy or weariness have fallen from my eyes because I no longer envy the world’s way of dating or loathe the wait God has assigned to this season of my life.
Instead, I can now see there is purpose for this season. I can see the schemes of the enemy and let God’s word spill out of my spirit versus fear, doubt, or disbelief. I can see the times when God has healed my brokenness and then used me as an Ananias to offer prayer and sight to those struggling in their current circumstance.
While I don’t have perfect sight and objects (and people) continue to be blurry from time to time, I believe Jesus continues to remove the scales from my eyes when I submit in obedience to Him. I once was blind but now I see. If He turned Saul into Paul, I know He can use me.
Be sure to check out my YouTube channel, Conversations with Carrie, where I talk more about “Now I See.”
