“The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Acts 9.7-12
Saul was down for the count. He was on the ground, blinded, unable to guide or lead himself. He who was once a confident accuser of Christ and his followers was now completely dependent upon those who were leading him. He went from a a humbler to the humbled.
The men who were traveling with Saul, according to the account, heard the same voice Saul heard but saw no one. And yet, none of them were blinded. Only Saul lost his sight. Only Saul was humbled to the point of blindness. How ironic that his spiritual blindness lead to physical blindness. That his persecution of Jesus stopped with one encounter with the Risen Lord.
And so Saul stood up, opened his eyes, and saw nothing. So they led him, like a child and by the hand into the city of Damascus. Had he ever arrived in a city in such a way of humility? Had he ever been so reliant upon others? Had his pride ever taken such a hit? For three days, Scriptures tells us, “he was blind and did not eat or drink anything.”
And then the Lord called to Ananias in a vision, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Saul could do nothing but pray. He called out and cried out to God, perhaps in confusion, for up until this point he thought he was doing what God had commanded.
And thus begins the transformation of Saul to Paul. The rest of the story is equally compelling but for now, we will rest in Saul’s humility and Ananias’ answer to God’s call to go to Saul and to begin to see the conversation of one of God’s greatest leaders of all time.
“O Lord God, you are good. In the quietness of my heart, I cry out to you. Like a dry and weary land, I thirst for your Spirit. Come now, Holy Spirit, fall upon this your servant. Allow me to have eyes to see your activity in the world. That I might know your power and love. Come now, Father God, reveal you Son to the World. Help them to see Jesus and to release the blindness of their eyes and their hearts. I love you Lord and praise your name. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen