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?” Acts 9:3,4
We’re ready for a road trip. The bags are packed, the car’s been checked and the GPS has been updated. We have a road map just in case, phone charges for the phone, the tablet and the laptop. The reservations have been made and an extensive itinerary has been planned out. We know all of the excursions we’re going on, all the sites we will see, including prices, addresses and any other entrance requirements. We have a list of the best restaurants complete with menus and prices. We are set. Except your other half wakes up with a fever of 104 and will be sick in bed all week with the flu.
“We need to have a plan.” We’ve heard it said a million times and many of us love to have them. We faithfully think things through ahead of time. We investigate and we weigh the advantages of one strategy over another and come to an educated decision. Feels good to know exactly how things are going to work out. But then they don’t always work. Sometimes God has a different plan for us and His will surely work out.
Saul was a greatly educated member of the religious leaders of the day. He was a highly respected citizen of Rome. He had a lot of power and he was on a mission. He was going to put an end to these fanatical followers of the way, also known as Christians. He was planning on locking them up, torturing them and killing them. Made perfect sense, they were a threat to the religious order of things and would surely be the demise of all he held near and dear, however, when he was on the road to Damascus God put an end to all his plans.
A light from heaven flashed about him and Saul was thrown to the ground. He would hear the voice of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3) Saul was left blind and was directed to go to Damascus and there a servant of Jesus, Ananias, would instruct Saul in the Christian way. Saul would become Paul, the greatest Apostle and evangelist the world has ever known. Definitely a change in plan!
Paul had a plan. God had a different plan. And God’s plan was better. When your plans don’t work out, don’t assume disaster, relax, breath, and consider that perhaps there is a greater power at work, God himself!
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