Does God always intervene only when we ask? Praise the Lord, He does not. Often we don’t understand why God is intervening into our lives. The Lord is like a watchful parent who always knows when to intervene. He doesn’t always ask us if it is in our plan. If you have come to faith in Jesus as your Savior, it is because the Lord intervened. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.[1]
The Apostle Paul also gives us additional insight into the Lord’s intervention in Romans 8:26-27. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. [2]
In our story, Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians and God decided to intervene. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” [3] Acts 8:3-6
The Lord did not ask Saul first before He intervened. This divine intercession would save Saul from the fires of hell and set him on a new path. God would now use Saul, later known as Paul, to save other people as he became one of the world’s greatest evangelists.
No one is ever too far from God to receive the mercy and grace of His divine intervention. You may feel far from God or have felt that way in the past. In our story, it was only in hindsight that Saul could see how far he was from God.
We don’t deserve God’s intervention into our life, but it is His grace and mercy is a free gift for His children. Take time to thank the Lord today for His divine intervention into your life.
To hear the story of the Divine Intruder and Saul, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-the-divine-intruder/the-divine-intruder-and-saul
[1, 2, 3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 5:8, Ro 8:26-27, Acts 9:3-6). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.