The beloved physician Luke wrote how Paul continued to give defense for himself before a hostile Jewish crowd in Hebrew by saying, “as I made my journey, and was come near unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see that Just One, and should hear the voice of his mouth. For you shall be his witness unto all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why tarry you? arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse seventeen of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul told what happened, “when I was come again to Jerusalem” where we read:
And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem,
even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
The verse begins, “And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, ...” Luke began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and it happened and occurred”, “that, when I was come again” or “that, at the time and moment I, Paul, returned and went back” “to Jerusalem” which means “to the city of Jerusalem whose name means set you double peace and is the capital of Palestine” the following happened. Luke shared how “Paul” referred to the time he returned to “Jerusalem” after receiving Jesus as his “Savior and Lord”, and the following occurred.
The verse goes on to say, “even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;” Luke continued with the words, “even while I prayed” which means “also and indeed during the time and moment I, Paul, made orations, supplications and worshiped God” “in the temple” or “within the sacred worship place located in Jerusalem”, “I was in a trance” which means “I, Paul, was thrown into a mind that was outside of it's normal state, in amazement, wonderment and blended fear ”. Luke shared how “Paul” said he was “praying” in the “sacred worship place located in Jerusalem” when he fell into an abnormal mental state that was filled with wonderment, blended fear and awe.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Paul” was “praying” within the “temple” in Jerusalem when he experienced a “mental state” that was different than he ever had before. We can imagine how this affected“Paul” because he left “Jerusalem” with fiery indignation against the Christians in the world, and now, he was one. God dealt personally with “Paul” who was so opposed to him, and indeed a miracle took place in “Paul's” life. We shall see what he discovers in the “trance”, but for now let us meditate upon the fact that “Paul's” life was changed by Jesus, and Jesus is willing to alter the lives of any person who believes and trusts in Him. Those who are wise yield to Jesus, repent of their sins and become willing to serve Him in any manner He desires. For all eternity they shall proclaim the love, mercy and grace of God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son for all He has done.
Next time Luke shares how Paul tells how Jesus told him, “make haste, and get you quickly out of Jerusalem”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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