From Darkness to Light

The Transformation of Saul

“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,

 ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” — Acts 9:4

Scripture Reading- Acts 9:1-19

Saul was on a mission—zealous, determined, and dangerous. Fueled by religious fervor, he hunted down followers of “The Way,” seeking to crush the young church. But on the road to Damascus, he met a light brighter than his fury. Jesus, risen and alive, confronted Saul—not with vengeance, but with grace.

This encounter changed everything. Saul was struck blind, led by the hand into the city he had planned to storm. Saul didn’t just need a course correction; he needed a new life. His physical blindness mirrored his spiritual condition, and in those sightless days, he began to pray (Acts 9:11).

Into this story steps Ananias—faithful, afraid, and obedient. God called him to extend grace to the one who had caused so much pain. Ananias placed his hands on Saul and called him “Brother.” The Spirit came, and scales fell from Saul’s eyes. What fell away was not just blindness, but hatred, pride, and certainty. Repentance is not merely feeling sorry—it is the Spirit-led turning from darkness to light, from self to surrender, from old ways to God’s new path.

C.S. Lewis once described his own reluctant conversion as being “dragged into the kingdom kicking and screaming.” Saul’s encounter was similarly disruptive, yet deeply merciful. God did not merely stop Saul—He called him. “This man is my chosen instrument,” God told Ananias (Acts 9:15). From that moment, Saul (later Paul) became a witness to grace, preaching Christ with the same fire he once used to oppose Him.

Saul’s story reminds us that no one is beyond reach. Grace meets us on the road, blinds us to what is false, and opens our eyes to what is true. What begins as a single moment of awakening becomes a lifelong journey of transformation. Like Saul, we are invited not only to be saved—but to be sent, to live each day in the power of the One who called us by name.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, meet us where we are, even on the wrong road. Call our name. Break our pride. Open our eyes. Transform our mission. Make us, like Paul, living testimonies of your grace. Amen.