When Saul returned to Damascus after a three-year journey in the Arabian wilderness,(1) the Jews plotted together to kill him.(2) The “hunter”, Saul, had now become the hunted. Having been an ardent persecutor of Christians, he was fully aware of all of the means that were at the disposal of his “hunters”. He may have actually trained some of those Jews in the best way to capture the Christians. He could anticipate the details of the next steps in the playbook of the plot against him. He had written the playbook!
He had two good reasons to be self-confident. First, Saul was a brilliant man. He probably had “plays” in his playbook that these men had never thought of. It would have been very easy for him to be overconfident in his own knowledge and his own ability to thwart the plans of those who were plotting against him. He easily could have determined to rely on his own ability to overcome the problem himself.
Second, Jesus had appeared to Saul personally on the road to Damascus. He had just returned from almost three years in the Arabian wilderness being led in a one-on-One journey with the Son of God. He was on a first name basis with the Creator of the universe. He could have begun to believe that he was invincible – kind of like a spiritual “Iron Man”. He could have developed a spiritual arrogance that nothing or no one could defeat him by virtue of his spiritual position.
Do i hear you saying that either or both of those positions would have been silly for him to take? Well, i mention them both because they are positions that we, as believers, have been known to take. When we encounter a difficulty or a challenge in life, too often our first instinct is to fight it off in our own ability or make our own plans. It may be a health issue, a financial setback, a personal attack, or even a spiritual attack – and our first recourse is to try and overcome it “our way”. We’re not going to “bother” God with it. We can deal with it on our own. Our wit, wisdom and strength will get us through.
Or perhaps, we take the “super-Christian” approach of “name it and claim it”. We believe that since we are a child of God, nothing can overtake us or overcome us because we have special privileges. And if something does overcome us, we blame God because it must be His fault, because as His child we are supposed to be exempt from life’s difficulties. As a result, we do nothing, believing we will miraculously escape our problems. But Saul himself (later as Paul) counted it a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ. As a matter of fact, he says “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”(3)
And as the writer of the letter to the Roman believers, Paul wrote the truth that Jesus had taught him: “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”(4)
The apostle John did likewise when he wrote, “And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.”(5) And Jesus Himself said, “But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”(6)
In all three instances, the Lord tells us that if we ask according to His Word and His will, we can walk assuredly in His answer. Years ago, i heard Dr. Charles Stanley say, “If God tells you to run your head through a brick wall, you start running and trust Him to make a hole in that wall.” The key is what God has said – and once we know what He has said, trusting Him to make the way to bring it about.
Jesus had said that Saul was His chosen instrument to take His “message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”(7) Saul could walk confidently knowing that as long as he continued in obedience according to the Lord’s will that nothing could defeat him until that work was accomplished. And God would make a “hole” even where it otherwise seemed impossible. In Saul’s situation, God made an opening in the city wall for him to escape.
My wife and i are currently running head-first toward a wall. God has given us a clear promise through His Word. He continues to affirm His promise almost every day through His Word and in so many other ways. In our own strength and according to our own ability, it is an impossible task. We are not running toward the wall because we think it is a good idea. In our own wisdom, we think it is a terrible idea. But we believe with all our hearts that it is what God has told us to do. And He has promised us that in His perfect timing and in His perfect way, He will make an opening in that wall. So the question before us is – do we trust Him at His word? And if so, are we willing to charge ahead according to His word? Do we trust that when we arrive at the wall He will make the opening? It won’t happen through our own ability. It won’t happen simply because we are His children. It will only happen if we are walking by faith, trusting Him at His word.
That’s what Saul did. And God made an opening in the wall. The result was that the Good News was preached to the nations. God’s work was accomplished in His way according to His word and for His glory. That was true two thousand years ago for Saul in Damascus. And it is just as true for each one of us today!
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(2) Acts 9:23-25 (NLT)
After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.
(3) 2 Timothy 3:12 (NLT)
(4) Romans 8:26-28 (NLT)
(5) 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)
(6) John 15:7 (NLT)
(7) Acts 9:15 (NLT)
Adapted from Until He Returns, ch.26
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