Encounters With Jesus That Change Our LivesSample

Day 7 — The Encounter That Transforms History: Saul on the Road to Damascus

Saul wasn’t seeking Jesus; he was persecuting him. While breathing threats of murder against the disciples, he thought he was serving God. Zealous, learned, morally blameless… but spiritually blind. His zeal without revelation had made him an enemy of the very Christ he claimed to defend.

“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” (Acts 9:1–2 NIV).

On his way to Damascus, Saul was determined to put an end to the Christian movement. But God had another plan: to put an end to the Saul who persecuted him and raise up the Paul who would serve him.

“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 NIV).

Jesus didn’t accuse him with a list. He didn’t say, “Stop killing!” He asked, “Why do you persecute me?” A question that pierced his theology, his identity, and his religious security. Suddenly, everything he thought he knew about God crumbled before the voice of Christ.

“ ‘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 9:5–6 NIV).

That moment marked the end of the persecutor and the beginning of the apostle. The man who went with human authority surrendered before divine authority. God didn’t change his passion; he redirected his purpose.

For three days, Saul was blind (the outward reflection of his inner condition). He ate and drank nothing. In that silence, his religion broke, and his relationship began.

Then God called a man named Ananias:

“ ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying’ ” (Acts 9:11 NIV).

The one who had breathed threats was now breathing prayers. The one who persecuted the disciples now waited for one of them. When Ananias arrived, he called him “Brother Saul.” The persecutor became a brother. The enemy became family.

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized” (Acts 9:18 NIV).

That day, he not only recovered sight; he discovered vision. The killer of Christians became the greatest missionary in history. The persecutor of the gospel ended up writing a large part of the New Testament. When Jesus finds you, he doesn’t just change your direction; he changes your mission.

No matter how far you’ve been, how wrongly you’ve walked, or how much damage you’ve done—a flash of grace can change your story in an instant. The same Christ who knocked Saul down in Damascus still brings down pride today. And when he does, it is not to humiliate, but to lift up. He still finds modern Sauls (strong, self-assured, determined people) and turns them into Pauls: witnesses of his redeeming power.

Saul’s story reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of grace. The light that blinded him was the same light that enlightened him. And the voice that confronted him was the same voice that commissioned him.

Practical reflection

• What areas of your life need to be interrupted by the light of Christ?
• Have you ever confused religious zeal with a living relationship with Jesus?
• What new purpose might be born from your current process?

Suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, bring down every pride in me that keeps me from seeing you. If necessary, stop my path to show me yours. Turn my zeal into compassion and my knowledge into obedience. Make my life a testimony of your grace that changes stories. Amen.

Thank you for joining me in this devotional plan. I pray that each reading has strengthened your faith and reminded you that in Jesus we find fullness. If it blessed your life, share it with someone else.

Also visit www.martepodcast.com, where you’ll find more biblical resources for your spiritual growth.

I bless you in Christ,

Felipe Echeverri