May 7, 2009 - Acts 9:5

“’Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.”
“’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ He replied.” Acts 9:5.
Saul is stopped in his tracks on his journey to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem. A bright light surrounds him and he falls to the ground, and a voice speaks to him, saying, “Saul, why do you persecute me?” Upon hearing this voice asking him this question, Saul responds with his question, wondering who it is that is speaking to him. The answer is Jesus. It is Jesus, Himself, who is speaking to Saul, and He states Saul is persecuting Jesus directly; not just His followers.
In this pivotal moment in the life of Saul, he is dramatically and directly challenged by this presence of power and light who calls Himself “Jesus.” From Saul’s perspective, this could have been a very confusing moment. The people travelling with him saw the bright light, heard the noise, and saw Saul on the ground, but they did not understand what was going on. Saul could have passed off all of this as another strange occurrence that happens while travelling in arid wildernesses, yet he knew deep within that this was very different. And this caused him to stop and wonder as to its meaning.
Occasionally, important moments occur in my life, and at those moments, I am usually confronted with a choice. It is instructive to me that at this decisive moment in Saul’s life, he saw the Lord in the choice and decided to follow Him. It is my hope that I, too, will look to the Lord for my choice instead of relying on my own thoughts.
Questions to consider: Do you remember any important moments in your life where you were confronted with an important choice? How did it work for you? Do you tend to rely on your own strength or do you look to God? How is your life changed by deciding either way?
Prayer: Father, give me eyes to see Your movements in my life, especially in those particularly important ones, and give me a heart and mind to make the right choice in following after You. Amen.