“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. (Acts 9:5-9)
We first hear of Saul when he approved the stoning of Stephen. Now he’s on the road to Damascus to capture and murder Christians. He’s no different than those who lynched and hung African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century or Hitler or ISIS. Saul was a terrorist; yet he loved God. A Jew, Saul belonged to the body of God and saw Jesus and his followers as a threat to his religious identity. He did everything he could to squash the outsiders in the name of God.
God’s light blinded Saul to the world outside but made him see that God calls those willing to be led and that His body has no outsiders. Jesus is the head and people of all religions make up the core, arms, legs, hands, and feet.
Sometimes, even though we love God, we persecute Jesus. We make others feel like outsiders with our gossip, sneers, or hurtful words. God loves His body of believers so much that when any of us are persecuted, He feels persecuted also.
Father God, I praise you for calling me into your body. Help me see Your desires and shine Your light down the path of righteousness you’ve paved for me. Show me how to love those whom I don’t understand because they, also, are part of Your body. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.
Persecution is a horrible thing and we have had so much of that in our history. You would think that people would learn that persecution does not benefit anyone. Right now, Asian Americans are being persecuted. Horrible acts of hate on innocent people. I hope that God opens the eyes of those that are committing these hate crimes.
Yes, I pray for God to open the eyes of all persecutors. Christians need to spread our love to Asian Americans and persecutors. It isn’t until people see God’s glory that their eyes are opened and Satan’s snake scales fall from their eyes. It is so apparent in the conversion of Saul to Apostle Paul. We need to be more like Ananias. Love you, Sis. Praying for you!