He charged north out of Jerusalem with the ire of Alexander the Great sweeping across Persia and the dedicated resolve of William Tecumseh Sherman in his burning march across Georgia.

Such barbarous resolution and blind loathing for the fans of Christ drove him hard toward his distant destination : Damascus. If you used to be a fan of Jesus living anywhere near Jerusalem, you would not have wished to hear Saul’s knock at your door.

We read this : “As he was traveling, it occurred that he was approaching Damascus, and all of a sudden a light from heaven flashed around him ; and he slipped to the ground and heard a voice exclaiming to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ “( Acts 9:3–4 ). At that moment, Saul’s murderous journey was brought to a divine halt.

No heavenly calligraphy scrolled across the skies with the caution, “Watch out tomorrow, Saul, God’s going to getcha.” God stayed silent and restrained as Saul proceeded with his murderous plan to invade Damascus. At the hour it might have its best impact, God stepped in. Perhaps it’s a sad vehicle accident that claims the life of your buddy. Or it may come thru the passing of a kid. In the hour of deepest grief, your life and the lives of your folks are impacted forever. Often , life’s sudden turns come in the hideous crash of an aeroplane, causing a tragedy that wipes out half a neighborhood. Or in the halting words of your consultant as she admits, “You have cancer.” Like a rogue wave, grief crashes onto the tranquil shores of our lives and knocks us flat. Incredibly, the jolt awakens our senses, and we all of a sudden remember that God is in control, regardless of what.