Chosen Vessel

 

“Saul, Saul, Why Are You Persecuting Me?” – When Jesus Interrupts Our Lives... Acts 9:1-20

Dear Friends, few stories in the Bible are as dramatic or as encouraging as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Breathing threats and murder against the disciples, Saul was on his way to Damascus with official letters to arrest any followers of “the Way.” He was zealous, determined, and convinced he was serving God by stamping out this new movement.

But God had other plans. As Saul neared Damascus, “suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 9:3-4 ESV). 

In that blinding moment, Saul discovered that persecuting the church meant persecuting the risen Lord Jesus Himself. Blinded and trembling, he asked the most important question anyone can ever ask: “What do You want me to do, Lord?” (v. 6).

The Lord’s answer was simple yet life-changing: “Rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” For three days Saul sat in darkness, fasting and praying, until Ananias was sent to him. Scales fell from his eyes, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, baptised, and immediately began proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God.

What a turnaround! The church’s greatest enemy became one of its greatest apostles. The man who once tried to destroy the gospel spent the rest of his life preaching it.

For us today this story is full of hope. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The same Jesus who met Saul on the Damascus road can meet us in our rebellion, our self-righteousness, or our religious zeal. He specialises in transforming people. The question He asked Saul is the same question He gently asks each of us: “Why are you persecuting Me?” — whether through indifference, pride, or sin.

And the response He looks for is the same: “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Pause & Pray: Take a quiet moment right now. Ask the Lord honestly, “What do You want me to do?” Be willing to let Him interrupt your plans, just as He interrupted Saul’s. His interruptions are always acts of mercy.

Verse to Remember: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.’” (Acts 9:15 ESV)

Question to Consider: Is there an area of your life where you have been running in the wrong direction, perhaps with good intentions but without truly knowing Christ? What might change if you stopped and asked, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church@SFGH Church