Acts 22:6-11: a reflection

6“As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’ 9“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me. 10I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

Recounting his conversion, Paul tells how, struck down by a great light and confronted by the risen Christ, he responded with a question that turned his whole life around: what shall I do, Lord? I said, what shall I do, Lord? Paul recounts; and the Lord said, arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do. In a moment, the persecutor of Christ was brought to the ground, confronted by the very Lord he had opposed; and his response was not resistance but surrender, a question that placed his life at Christ's disposal: what shall I do, Lord? From opposing Christ, Paul turned to asking his direction. This shows the turning of a surrendered heart, asking, what shall I do, Lord? A surrendered heart asks, what shall I do, Lord? Paul turned from opposing Christ to asking his direction. The question of surrender places our life at Christ's disposal. Ask Christ, what shall I do, and place your life at his disposal.

Notice the turning point in Paul's response. He had been a fierce opponent of Christ, persecuting his people, sure he was right; and then he was struck down and confronted by the risen Christ himself. In that moment, everything he had believed was overturned; the one he had opposed was the living Lord. And his response, once he knew who was speaking, was not to argue or resist, but to surrender: what shall I do, Lord? It is the question of a heart that has stopped resisting and now places itself at Christ's disposal, ready to do whatever he directs. This is a model of the surrender that meets Christ. When we truly encounter Christ as Lord, the fitting response is not to keep resisting, not to hold onto our own way, but to surrender, to place our lives at his disposal, asking, what shall I do, Lord? This question marks a turning: from living for ourselves and our own way, to asking Christ's direction and being ready to obey it. It is the response of a surrendered heart, ready to be led by Christ rather than to go its own way. We do well to bring this question to Christ, placing our lives at his disposal: Lord, what shall I do? A surrendered heart asks Christ, what shall I do, Lord? The fitting response to Christ as Lord is surrender, not resistance. Place your life at Christ's disposal, ready to do what he directs. Ask Christ's direction, ready to obey it.

That is worth taking to heart, for the fitting response to encountering Christ as Lord is the surrender that asks, what shall I do, Lord, placing our lives at his disposal, as Paul turned from opposing Christ to asking his direction. We can keep resisting Christ, holding onto our own way; but Paul, confronted by the risen Lord, surrendered, asking, what shall I do, Lord. Surrender is the fitting response. When you meet Christ as Lord, do not keep resisting; surrender, asking, what shall I do, Lord, and place your life at his disposal. Bring to Christ the question of a surrendered heart, what shall I do, Lord, placing your life at his disposal ready to do what he directs, as Paul, recounting his conversion, told how, struck down by a great light and confronted by the risen Christ he had been persecuting, responded not with resistance but with surrender, asking, what shall I do, Lord, and was told to arise and go into Damascus where he would be told all that was appointed for him to do; for in a moment the fierce opponent of Christ, sure he was right, was brought to the ground and confronted by the very Lord he had opposed, and his response, once he knew who was speaking, was not to argue or resist but to surrender, placing his life at Christ's disposal ready to do whatever he directed, which is a model of the surrender that meets Christ, since when we truly encounter Christ as Lord the fitting response is not to keep resisting or holding onto our own way but to surrender and ask his direction, a question that marks a turning from living for ourselves to asking Christ's direction and being ready to obey it, the response of a surrendered heart ready to be led by Christ, so that we do well to bring this question to him, placing our lives at his disposal.

Lord Jesus, recounting his conversion, Paul tells how, struck down by a great light and confronted by you, the risen Christ, he responded with a question that turned his whole life around: what shall I do, Lord? I said, what shall I do, Lord? Paul recounts; and the Lord said, arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do. In a moment, the persecutor of Christ was brought to the ground, confronted by the very Lord he had opposed; and his response was not resistance but surrender, a question that placed his life at your disposal: what shall I do, Lord? From opposing you, Paul turned to asking your direction. This shows the turning of a surrendered heart. Show me the turning point in Paul's response. He had been a fierce opponent of you, sure he was right; and then he was struck down and confronted by you, the risen Lord. In that moment, everything he had believed was overturned. And his response, once he knew who was speaking, was not to argue or resist, but to surrender: what shall I do, Lord? It is the question of a heart that has stopped resisting and now places itself at your disposal, ready to do whatever you direct. This is a model of the surrender that meets you. When I truly encounter you as Lord, the fitting response is not to keep resisting, not to hold onto my own way, but to surrender, to place my life at your disposal, asking, what shall I do, Lord? This question marks a turning: from living for myself and my own way, to asking your direction and being ready to obey it. Take that to my heart, for the fitting response to you as Lord is the surrender that asks, what shall I do, Lord. When I meet you as Lord, keep me from resisting or holding onto my own way; help me surrender, Lord, asking, what shall I do, and placing my life at your disposal, ready to do what you direct and be led by you rather than going my own way.