The Right Place

The Right Place

Acts 9:1-22

            Yes, I know it’s a long passage—twenty-two verses to be exact—but you can never get enough Scripture—right?  Besides, you have to read the whole story of Saul’s conversion in order to understand where I’m going with this.

            We know him better as Paul, but before he was given his new name, he was Saul.  That’s the name his parents gave him, and the name by which he was known by both the Pharisees and the earliest Christians.  He doesn’t become Paul for another three chapters.  Since we’re talking about his conversion, we’ll call him Saul.

            Douglas Adams is best known for his whacky and irreverent book series which begins with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  These books aren’t for everyone, but if you have a certain offbeat sense of humor, they might appeal to you.  One warning:  don’t expect them to make sense in the usual meaning of that word.

            Somewhere Adams said, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”  Most of us have had this experience.  We’ve started out for someplace, and wound up someplace else.  Sometimes this happens by accident.  My sense of direction isn’t the best, so I occasionally make a wrong turn and get lost.  That’s not what Adams means.  I’ve often said that if I ever write my autobiography the title will be, But God Had Other Plans.  I think that’s what happened to Adams.  I know that’s what happened to Saul.

            Saul is headed for Damascus.  He’s so angry at this new religion—Christianity—that he’s “breathing fire.”  We’ve met people like that, people so incensed about something that they can barely control their tempers.  Saul wants to get to Damascus quickly so he can arrest Christians and bring them back to be punished—punished severely—by the Jewish leaders.  We know his high energy level from his writing and his preaching, so we picture him going down the road as fast as his legs can move him.  His companions have a difficult time keeping up.

            Suddenly, there’s a blinding light around him, and a voice from heaven drives him to his knees.  In an instant, his direction is changed.  He’s still headed for Damascus, but not on his own.  He is blind, and has to be led by his companions.  Instead of going to the synagogues to arrest Christians, Jesus directs him to Straight Street—not to act, but to wait.

            We know the rest of the story.  Ananias, shaking with fear, comes to him, lays his hands upon him, and his sight is restored.  Saul does go to the synagogues, but to proclaim Jesus as Messiah and Lord rather than to cause havoc.  The story continues, through missionary journey after missionary journey, finally ending in Rome where he is executed for the faith he once persecuted.  He began his journey on one side of the religious fence, but finished it on the other.  He did not go where he intended to go, but ended up where he needed to be.

            Have you had a similar experience?  Has your destination been changed?  You knew where you were going, had your destination not only in your mind but in your sights.  Your GPS was set, and your vehicle was headed down the road you had chosen. 

But God had other plans.  Now you are nowhere near where you thought you were going—but you are in the right place.  Celebrate the change of direction.  Understand that God has taken control and taken you where you need to be.  It’s okay that you didn’t reach your intended destination.  Instead you’ve arrived where, like Saul—Paul—you can do the most good. 

            Welcome home.