One Encounter Can Change Everything

“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. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Acts 9:4-6 (NIV)

Saul was certain he was doing the right thing. With letters authorizing him to arrest followers of Jesus, he was traveling toward Damascus, determined to stop what he believed was a dangerous movement. He had his convictions, his plans, and the authority to carry them out. Then, in a moment he could never have anticipated, a light from heaven flashed around him, and he fell to the ground. The man who had been so certain of his direction suddenly found himself asking a question that would change the course of his life: “Who are you, Lord?”

Saul had not set out that day looking for a new direction. He believed he already had one. But an encounter with the risen Jesus confronted everything he thought he understood. The journey to Damascus was supposed to be about carrying out his own mission. Instead, it became the beginning of a life surrendered to the will of God.

There is an important difference between knowing about God and allowing Him to change us. We can be sincere in our beliefs, confident in our opinions, and convinced that our plans make sense. Yet sincerity alone does not guarantee that we are walking in God's direction. Sometimes our greatest need is not more determination to keep going, but the humility to stop and ask whether we are going where He is leading.

Consider the contrast between Saul of Tarsus and King Saul. King Saul received clear instructions from God, but when he disobeyed, he was more concerned with the people around him than with honoring the Lord. He eventually admitted, “I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them” (1 Samuel 15:24, NIV). His fear of people led him to protect his position rather than fully obey God.

Saul of Tarsus faced a very different moment. When Jesus confronted him, he did not insist on defending his record or continuing his mission. He asked who was speaking to him, then submitted to the direction he was given. Acts 9:6 records his next words in the NIV: “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Saul had to lay down his own agenda and wait for the Lord to show him what came next.

That response reveals something important about the fear of the Lord. Reverence is more than recognizing God's power or feeling awe in His presence. It means acknowledging that He has the right to correct us, redirect us, and ask us to surrender what we would rather hold on to. When we truly recognize who God is, humility becomes more important than being right, and obedience becomes more important than protecting our plans.

Saul's encounter did not simply change his opinion about Jesus. It changed the direction of his life. The man who had persecuted believers became one of the most influential messengers of the gospel. His past did not have the final word, and his former plans no longer defined his future. God redirected his life toward a purpose he could not have imagined for himself.

We may not experience a moment on the road to Damascus, but God still meets us through His Word and the work of His Spirit. He may challenge an attitude we have defended for years, expose a motive we have overlooked, or call us to take a step we have been avoiding. The question is whether we will respond with resistance or surrender.

An encounter with God is not measured only by what we feel in the moment. Its fruit becomes visible in the choices we make afterward. When He corrects us, do we listen? When His Word challenges our plans, are we willing to change course? A heart that reveres God remains teachable, even when obedience means admitting we were wrong.

Take a few quiet moments today to pray honestly about an area where you may be resisting God's direction. It could be a decision you are determined to make your own way, an attitude you have been unwilling to confront, or a step of obedience you keep postponing. Ask God to show you what needs to change. Then identify one concrete step you can take today, whether that means making something right, changing a decision, asking for forgiveness, or beginning something you have been avoiding.

Reflection

Am I willing to let God correct my direction, even when it challenges what I have always believed or planned? What is one area where I need to move from defending my own way to asking, “What shall I do, Lord?”

Today's Prayer

Lord, I want to know You in a way that changes how I live, not simply what I believe. Give me the humility to recognize when I am holding too tightly to my own plans or opinions. Show me where I need to change direction, and help me respond to Your correction with a willing heart. Teach me to trust You even when I cannot see the whole road ahead. Like Saul, may my response be to surrender and ask what You want me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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