Lent 2025 Day 3
Lent 2025 Day 3
Apostle Paul, Writer and Early Church Planter
Acts 9:1-19 | Psalm 91:9-16
Few stories in Scripture capture the power of transformation as vividly as Paul’s conversion. Before he was Paul, he was Saul—an enemy of the early church, known for persecuting followers of Jesus. He was zealous, believing he was defending God’s truth by seeking out and imprisoning Christians. But on the road to Damascus, his world was turned upside down. A blinding light, a voice from heaven, and an encounter with the risen Christ stopped him in his tracks. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus asked.
For three days, Saul was blind. Vulnerable. Dependent on the very people he had sought to destroy. Then, God sent Ananias, a faithful disciple, to lay hands on him. Scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was baptized—no longer an enemy of Christ, but a witness to the gospel.
Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection, of finding refuge in the Most High. Yet Saul’s transformation reminds us that God's protection doesn’t always mean safety in the way we expect. God disrupted Saul’s life, blinded him, and forced him to confront the truth. And yet, in that moment of weakness, Saul was never abandoned. God provided Ananias, a community to receive him, and a new purpose: to proclaim the gospel.
Lent is a season of surrender. Like Saul, we are invited to let go of old ways of thinking, of the pride and certainty that keep us from fully encountering Christ. It is not always comfortable. Sometimes transformation feels like blindness before clarity comes. But God is our refuge, walking with us through every moment of change.
Reflection:
Breath Prayer: Inhale: You are my refuge, O Lord… Exhale: …in You, I trust.
May this Lent be a time of transformation, surrender, and renewal, trusting that even in the unknown, God is at work.
Amen.
Acts 9:1-19 | Psalm 91:9-16
Few stories in Scripture capture the power of transformation as vividly as Paul’s conversion. Before he was Paul, he was Saul—an enemy of the early church, known for persecuting followers of Jesus. He was zealous, believing he was defending God’s truth by seeking out and imprisoning Christians. But on the road to Damascus, his world was turned upside down. A blinding light, a voice from heaven, and an encounter with the risen Christ stopped him in his tracks. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus asked.
For three days, Saul was blind. Vulnerable. Dependent on the very people he had sought to destroy. Then, God sent Ananias, a faithful disciple, to lay hands on him. Scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was baptized—no longer an enemy of Christ, but a witness to the gospel.
Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection, of finding refuge in the Most High. Yet Saul’s transformation reminds us that God's protection doesn’t always mean safety in the way we expect. God disrupted Saul’s life, blinded him, and forced him to confront the truth. And yet, in that moment of weakness, Saul was never abandoned. God provided Ananias, a community to receive him, and a new purpose: to proclaim the gospel.
Lent is a season of surrender. Like Saul, we are invited to let go of old ways of thinking, of the pride and certainty that keep us from fully encountering Christ. It is not always comfortable. Sometimes transformation feels like blindness before clarity comes. But God is our refuge, walking with us through every moment of change.
Reflection:
- Have you ever had a moment when your faith or understanding of God was completely transformed?
- What areas of your life might God be calling you to surrender, so that you can see more clearly?
Breath Prayer: Inhale: You are my refuge, O Lord… Exhale: …in You, I trust.
May this Lent be a time of transformation, surrender, and renewal, trusting that even in the unknown, God is at work.
Amen.
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Advent Day 1 - HopeAdvent Day 2 – Hope – Emma Community MarketAdvent Day 3 – Hope – Angel TreeAdvent Day 4 – Hope – Haywood Street CongregationAdvent Day 5 – Hope – Youth MinistryAdvent Day 6 – Hope – Church and SocietyAdvent Day 7 – Hope – Children's MinistryAdvent Day 8 - PeaceAdvent Day 9 – Peace – Prison MinistryAdvent Day 10 – Peace – Creation CareAdvent Day 11 – Peace – Wilderness TrailAdvent Day 12 – Peace – Children's MinistryAdvent Day 13 – Peace – Habitat for HumanityC4C Winter Coat Drive 2024Advent Day 14 – Peace – United Women in FaithAdvent Day 15 - Rev. Ann OwensAdvent Day 16 – Joy – College ChristmasCentral UMC Visits First UMC, Moheto in KenyaAdvent Day 17 – Joy – Reconciling Ministries NetworkAdvent Day 18 – Joy – ABCCMAdvent Day 19 – Joy – Stephen MinistryAdvent Day 20 – Joy – Children's MinistryAdvent Day 21 – Joy – Youth MinistryAdvent Day 22 – LoveAdvent Day 23 – Love – Recovery ResourcesAdvent Day 24 – Love – Worship and the ArtsAdvent Day 25 – Christmas
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