“I AM JESUS!”

Acts 9:1-9                                      (ESV)

“1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.

4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?"

5 And he said, "Who are you, LORD?" And HE said, "”I AM JESUS”, whom you are persecuting.

6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

Studying this exact passage not long ago, I usually wouldn’t prefer revisiting it for a longer period of time.  But GOD......HE has timeframes that might not make sense to us until we get to Heaven and we SEE everything HE SEES!  

On the road to Damascus, Saul heard JESUS speaking to him, but he didn’t know WHO HE was!  He had people with him who were capable of arresting Believers, but were evidently not men enough to stand against JESUS?  JESUS caused Saul to be placed in a position where his physical eyesight was taken from him ENABLING his Spiritual EYESIGHT to be perfected.  Saul couldn’t SEE until things were revealed to him by the SPIRIT OF GOD.  Far too many times today we want to SEE things when we desire to SEE them instead of WAITING ON GOD to reveal them to us!!!!

Recently I was eating dinner after a tiring day of yard work. My wife had the television playing a movie.  Not being really interested in television, I just wanted to sit in peace and quiet and enjoy resting my tired body.  But GOD.........HE wanted to grow me through a movie, so I didn’t protest, I just began watching the show.  “Recognizing” that GOD was trying to get me to HEAR from HIM, I became VERY INTERESTED in the movie and saw that GOD speaks through anything HE pleases, not just how and what we THINK HE will speak!  In the movie a man was a “star” singer who was caused to go home to the place where he was reared to take care of selling the estate of his family.  He saw his old home place, but he also found a “friend” and the values that he had before “this world” had given him fame.  Removing the pace of life generated by “this world” proved to be just what this man needed.  

Normally GOD speaks to me when I am quiet and still.   But HE isn’t precluded from speaking to me during rush hour at an airport terminal with literally thousands of people around!  HE is GOD and HE doesn’t have to do anything except be HOLY!  And ANYTHING HE does is HOLY.  SEEING this young man be orchestrated through “circumstances” in life made me think about my life.  GOD has displayed to me how HIS mighty hand was guiding me, even when I thought I was too busy for GOD and HIS Work.  

We seem to think ALMIGHTY GOD has to speak in a certain way, at a certain time, in the same way HE has done it before?  When “I AM JESUS” wants to speak to us, HE can speak through a donkey, a TELEVISION SHOW, a sea gull on a beach, HIS Creation, prayer, HIS SPIRIT, and a variety of other means.  Colossians 1:16 says “....ALL things were created through HIM and for HIM.”  Don’t try putting ALMIGHTY GOD into a box of preconceived ideas.  “I AM JESUS” contains the words “I AM” (Exodus 3:14), and HE is able to speak to us however HE chooses!  The question is, can we IDENTIFY and HEAR “I AM JESUS” speaking to us over “this world’s” interference???