Detour
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:1-6
This month was the beginning of a new road construction project in our town. Fortunately, I was able to adjust to it fairly quickly as it started while I was heading the other way, and thus, it did not have any significant impact other than to realize I had to leave earlier than the day before. However, sometimes we are hit with an unexpected detour. If we utilize an app on our phone like Google Maps, it sometimes is aware of it and tells us where to go. However, other times, we are neither warned nor prepared for it, and we are left on our own wits to determine which way to go and how to navigate it best. I am lucky in that my wife is not the type of person who tries to give me directions when I am driving. She has other opportunities to try to tell me what to do 😊 Nonetheless, detours are more times than not a minor inconvenience. However, what if your detour is major, much like a bridge to a major highway that closes and requires a great deal of adjustment time? How do you feel at that moment?
In our faith, change is often necessary for us to align more closely to God’s purpose for our lives. Today’s verses are about the calling of Saul who eventually became Paul. I think of how he must have felt that day prior to going to Damascus. He was a hardcore Pharisee who in the previous chapter of Acts was described as a person who “began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them into prison.” Not the type of person that saw himself becoming a follower of Christ. God must have agreed with this assessment, and He went Himself to confront Saul directly. There are a few things that come to mind. Saul must have been great at persecuting Christians because Jesus wanted him on the team. You usually do not recruit people who do poorly on the job. You want the best, and based on what Paul did after his calling, it proved to be further evidence of God’s perfect design and wisdom. Also, Paul had no idea how his life was about to change on the road to Damascus. Talk about detours! His life was altering not only for him but for all of us. Much of the New Testament is accounted to his writings, and thus, his influence on Christianity is undisputable. Finally, Paul’s obedience to God’s authority was both immediate and without question. When Jesus spoke, he did not say, “Who are you?” He asked after falling to his knees, “Who are you, Lord?” Thus, we can extrapolate a few things from this calling. We learn God both calls and expects us to respond. Furthermore, we should be on alert to His calling and ensure we are able to act. Finally, we are to be humbled by and in awe of His presence.
We are not always called by God in the way we want. God calls us when He sees fit. As such, our hearts and minds should be open to His will and flexible enough to shift when necessary. If you are like me, that is not easy. But if we prepare accordingly, realizing it is possible, we will be able to act as Paul did on the road to Damascus. Let us prepare ourselves according to act on God’s promptings. What changes might you need to make in preparation for God’s will? How can you soften your heart to God’s plan for your life and not your own? My prayer is that we are willing to take steps for the time when Jesus calls for us to make a detour. Amen.