FRIDAY April 21, 2023
I Was Blind but Now I See
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.
Acts 9:7-9
After Saul’s conversion, he was never the same. He had a true change. In his dramatic encounter with the Lord, Saul had become blind! Can you imagine all the Christians when they saw him coming into the city of Damascus? Here was Saul, the one who persecuted them, coming not with a sword and his company to arrest them; instead he was being led by the hand because he was blind. Saul remained blind for three days; during this time, he fasted and prayed. See how beautiful his conversion was! God humbled Saul before He could be used in a mighty way.
God humbles a person before He can use them. In history, there was an English slave trader named John Newton. His mother bought him up in the ways of the Lord, but she died of tuberculosis when he was almost seven years old. He became a sailor, but highly educated himself in Latin and geometry and attained a position in charge of a ship’s navigation.
During a fierce thunderstorm, Newton was brought to his knees. In fear of his life, he called out to God. After surviving the storm, he knew it was the grace of God that spared him. This frightful event led him to Christ, and he experienced a true conversion.
It has been said that in his transformation, Newton went from a faithless seaman to a man of deep faith. In humility, he became an Anglican clergyman, a hymn writer, and an abolitionist. John Newton eventually became blind, but although he became blind, spiritually he could see. Faithfully, Newton continued to preach the Gospel until his death.
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch; like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
~John Newton~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
