This morning when I sat down to write, I heard nothing, saw
nothing…had NOTHING! I sat waiting and prayed again. Shortly, after that I
started singing “Speak oh Speak” by the Brockmans. The lyrics simply say “Speak
oh speak, Holy Spirit. Come and have your way. Speak oh Speak Holy Spirit. Here
I am, I’m open.” Sometimes, we get so caught up in how we think God is going to
move in our lives that we miss what He’s doing. God doesn’t need our permission
or our plans on how to move in our lives, He just does what He does. We’ve been
raised in a society that teaches us to speak our minds and take control of our
own destiny. Some of us have our lives planned out through retirement and
beyond. We’re comfortable with our ideas and have figured out our purpose and
we’re running along with that. But what
happens when God throws a turnaround moment in there?
Do you remember the Damascus Road? Saul was comfortable in
his role as persecutor. He thought his main purpose in life was to stop the
spread of Christ’s message and he did all he could to fulfill that purpose.
When we meet up with him in Acts 9, Saul is headed to Damascus to arrest any
believers that he finds there and bring them to Jerusalem in chains. “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?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And
the voice replied, “I
am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now
get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (vs
3 – 6 NLT) Have you ever been moving along at your own pace and doing your own
thing, when God stopped you in your tracks? It didn’t necessarily mean that you
were a terrible person, but God had something else in mind for you. Are you
ready for a turnaround?
“Saul picked himself up off the
ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by
the hand to Damascus. He
remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.” (vs. 8 & 9 NLT) Some of us have been walking in darkness for so
long that our eyes have become accustomed to it. Jesus had to literally lay Saul
out so that all he could focus on was Him. During those 3 days, Jesus was doing
a restorative work on Saul. He was preparing Saul for his resurrection as a new
creature. In the midst of this, Jesus sends Ananias to lay hands on him. I love
this part of the story because it shows that no matter at what state you find
yourself, Jesus loves you enough to send someone to see about you. Notice what
Jesus says in verses 11 & 12. “The
Lord said, “Go
over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a
man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I
have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on
him so he can see again.” Ananias did not want to go help Saul because
he knew of the awful things that he had done but Jesus said “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to
take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of
Israel.” (v 15) Are you ready
for a turnaround?
You see, even in your mess or circumstance,
God has a plan for your life. You may not be able to understand why you’re
stuck in a dead end job or why your children are not living out their lives the
way you expected or even why your husband is out of order. Please know that God
is not taken unawares. He sees the
greatness that you can’t recognize. Saul was converted from a murderer to
immediately preaching the Gospel. How
much more do you think God can change you from lost to found, from sad to joyous,
from burdened down to free? It’s time to let God do what He does. You don’t
have to figure it out; you just have to let Him do it. Damascus Road is not
just for sinners, it’s for anyone searching for that new start. If you’re struggling to find your way, take a
stroll down Damascus Road, Jesus Christ will meet you there and He’ll come with
light that beats back your darkness.
Today, I speak light and life to your
spirit! I encourage you to allow God to shift things in His time and lead you
where He would have you to go! The final chorus of the Brockman’s song says “We
say Yes, Holy Spirit! Come and have your way! We say Yes, Holy Spirit. Here I
am…I’m open!” It may cost you something comfortable but it will change your
life! Are you ready for your turnaround?
God bless…AMEN
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