Based on Acts 9:1-22 (New King James Version)
“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.’ Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.’ And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ‘Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?’ But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
What is it that makes it so difficult for a person to come to truly believe in the Lord? Could it be that there is lack of information, that we think that what we know about God is limited? If someone desires to blame their lack of faith for reasons that involve limited information, I would have to say that they are someone that either leaves a lot unnoticed or voluntarily ignores much of the reality that surrounds them and even their own existence. For starters, everything that was created speaks to God’s greatness and His eternal power. And that fact alone, per se (because there is much to observe) is what condemns an unbelieving person, as it is written: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:18-21. If we just observe things just as they are, (and in this, true science does help us understand a bit more the magnitude of things) these should at minimum inspire a curiosity for God, for the Being that is behind all of this. That is what should happen in a human being, especially in a being that believes they have some sort of intelligence, or at least, an intelligence that is superior to that of the animals. Reason and intelligence, together with the ability of observation our senses give us, would give a person the capacity to believe in the Invisible. Let’s see things like our planet, our solar system, the stars, the galaxy, and the universe, all things that we know more of thanks to science and its advances. We can describe and even understand how many of these things work today, but being able to describe or understand does not give us the ability to create them or control them, and here is where we should start understanding our limitations and the unlimited nature of the Creator. If we observe well, it is impossible to conceive that everything that exists can be the product of an accident, because of its incredible and detailed design and unalterable order.
Now then, let’s look at things that are closer to our scale—ourselves. How incredible is human creation! We understand better how we function and why things are the way they are, but can we replicate them, are we be able to create something like a living being just as it is, and from nothing? It is impossible. Human beings cannot create something from nothing, and least of all, something as incredible as a human being with a body, a mind, and a soul, unless we follow the natural process we received from the Most High, or use the things that only He created. The issue that things do come from somewhere is completely true, because whether a person wants to believe it or not, everything comes from the Being of God. As it is written: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. So then, He made everything, and everything continues existing because He allows it, even your own existence; the beating of your heart, the breathing of your lungs, the universe, etc. Nothing cannot exist nor function without God. That is the Truth.
Now, does God desire for a person to come to know Him through extreme situations or through disasters? No. He is not the One that determines that, but rather, our hardness of heart, our pride or desire to do our will, our unbelief is what takes God to allow for extreme things to happen to help us recognize an irrefutable reality, that Jesus is God, and that He has to become the center of our lives because it is the only way that a human being can attain salvation. There is no other way. There is only one Truth, and when we come to that Truth, everything else gets shifted to a secondary place, because we have simply started understanding who God is. This is the true reason for Christmas, that God made Himself into flesh to save humanity (without any obligation), to break our own destiny, from a sure way to hell to eternal life. This is what Paul understood, and that’s why he did everything he did, and this is what we must understand also so we can do what we need to do as well. So then, do you truly believe in Jesus, and in such a way that He has changed your reason to live? Or, are you still in your voluntary and deliberate blindness? Lord bless! John