The story of Paul's conversion is simply an amazing tribute to in even more amazing God. As I think about this man Paul he was just a chapter earlier giving the approval for the stoning of a follower of Jesus, Stephen. Think about that he was literally saying yes this man deserves to die because he is a follower of Jesus. I cannot imagine that Paul just sat and watched and did not participate in throwing stones. Stones that would eventually take the life of a man simply because He followed Jesus a man that clearly Paul had great hatred. We see that hatred again here in chapter nine, as he was, "uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers." Paul wanted those who would follow Christ dead. Until....
Until he was knocked off his feet by the very one he hated, Jesus. What I find amazing about this encounter is verse 9, "He stayed there blind for three days and did not eat or drink." I am led to believe that this encounter so "messed" him up that he physically was unable to do much of anything. I picture him sitting in a corner of a house just unable to move, because he had been so moved by Jesus that he could think of nothing else. I can't say that I have ever had this same reaction to God moving in my life. But I can say that I have had similar, when something happened in my soul that so moved me that I could hardly do or think of anything or anyone else except for God. But those have been few and seemingly far between. I wonder why this is????? I do long to know God more and more, I want grow in my love for Christ. But so often my attention is given to many, many other things. I wonder if sometimes I miss His work because I am not paying attention. Or I wonder if when I do encounter Christ, it's not as soul rocking as it could be because of so many distractions. I do not know, but I believe that I want to pray that God would so impact my soul that I would so caught up in Him that I could not mistake it was Him speaking to me.
