As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
Acts 9:3-4 NLT
God is a God of surprises. One of those great surprises was when the chief prosecutor of the early Church was transformed into its greatest advocate. God interrupted Saul’s life plan, ambushing him on the road to Damascus. Blinded and confused, now a somewhat diminished character to the one who had embraced the mission of destroying the Christian sect from within Judaism, he was led to a room to ponder on his dramatically changed circumstances.
Blind, alone and disoriented, Saul was surely feeling low at this turn of events. Ananias was his reluctant encourager. Never again mentioned in scripture, this faithful servant of God, despite his understandable misgivings given Saul’s fearsome reputation, quietly obeyed by bringing God’s word to Saul and securing his complete conversion. All this hidden from public scrutiny.
As I ponder my life’s course, I am tempted towards disappointment at a number of unrealised ambitions. Yet, when I consider that same journey from God’s perspective, and my discipleship journey, I’m encouraged that I find myself where I am today. The battle is to refrain from entertaining those disappointments, or more realistically the benefits I assume I might have gained if my plans had worked out.
God’s foe, Satan, the accuser, seeks to undermine my confidence in God and in myself. So it’s easy to feel pretty wretched and somewhat lost and confused, just like Saul. Hence the importance of the encouragement others can bring, just like Ananias. I have discovered I am both in need of encouragement as well as a source of encouragement to others. This is the real purpose of our Christian fellowship.
It is all too easy to become your own harshest critic. Yet, in surrendering to God, the path you take and the place you find yourself can prove to be the very heart of God’s presence and purpose for your life.
QUESTION
Do you feel encouraged in your life today?
PRAYER
Eternal Father, I trust in your ability to make good out of evil and bring fresh hope from what seems like disappointment.
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