encountering the darkness
Paul
had a plan that was backed by his intelligence, experience, and
determination. He intended to stop those
he perceived as misguided people of the
Way. Yet he was stopped in his
tracks by God’s divine intervention.
This not only disabled his determination, it brought about a couple
other things as well: (1) humility –with
no sight he needed to be led by the hand
(2) godly fear –he was shaken up and fasted the whole three days
What
do you think might have been running through his mind during these days of
darkness? Clearly he experienced a greater revelation of what he was really
doing—not only opposing a particular group of people, but opposing Jesus who
was raised from the dead, and ultimately, opposing God, the very One he
originally intended to serve. He had
gotten far off of that track, but in his literal darkness he encountered his
own spiritual darkness. Once he
recognized it, he could repent.
Sometimes we too can be headstrong
about a viewpoint, an approach to doing something, or when, how, and where we want something to happen. In His mercy, God still sometimes stops
people in their tracks. Obviously the
way in which this happens can vary widely, but the question for each of us is
the same: What will we do in our “darkness”?
It is a place for humility, godly fear, and repentance.
After Paul’s experience, He had a
godly fear that brought Him to honor and appreciate other human beings—even
those mired in sin—for each person is made in the image of God, and saved
purely by the grace of Jesus. He was
broken of his self-exaltation, humbled, and recognizing that his only hope was in Jesus Christ—not
himself.
By
encountering not only the darkness of being blinded, but the darkness resident
in himself, Paul was able to see truly.
The healing, baptism, strengthening and preaching which followed testify
to what God desires for each of us.
Encountering the darkness in our own hearts is key to humility, godly
fear, repentance and greater revelation.
Read
and Pray: John
1:3-5, 1 John 1:5-7, Revelation 21:22-27
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