Day 35 - Close Encounters of the "Godly" Kind

Acts 9: "3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone."

If you have been in church for any amount of time, you are probably familiar with this passage of scripture and this particular event, often referred to as the "Damascus Road experience". Saul, (later called Paul), was heading to Damascus, along with his followers, in search of those who believed in Christ (who belonged to the "Way") in order to persecute and imprison them. Suddenly, a light appears, a voice is heard, and Saul and his companions are stopped, dead in their tracks.

In 1977, a movie was released entitled, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It's a science fiction film, depicting the story of an Indiana electrical lineman whose life changes after he has an encounter with an unidentified flying object (UFO) (info per Wikipedia.com). I remember the front cover of the book, and it shows a bright light at the end of a highway. In the 70's, there was much talk about UFO's. There would be movies and books, telling the stories of different ones, claiming that they had actually seen an UFO. Had the event that Saul experienced happened in the 20th century, there would have been those who would have tried to explain it away as some unusual, scientific phenomenon.

Anytime someone has an experience that is out of the ordinary, there is going to be some type of after effect. For three days, Saul was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Saul gets converted, and then goes on a three-day fast --- now that should inspire us more mature Christians. :) Scripture doesn't say if the men who were with Saul were converted, but for Saul, it changed his life! Saul immediately responded back "Lord". He knew he had experienced a Godly encounter!

There may be those who are waiting for that "Damascus Road experience". You may feel, that since you didn't hear a voice or see bright lights, you have not truly had a total conversion. Some of you may have felt very emotional at the time of your salvation; for others, it occurred much more quietly and subdued. Irregardless of how it transpired, an encounter with God occurred, and your life has never been the same.

Father, help us to seek you, to experience you in the fullness of your glory. May your light so shine that we become speechless in your presence. May those around us see and know, that 'we have been with You'. Amen.