Jul 23, 2023
562 Saul Why Are You Persecuting Me? A Guided Christian Meditation on Acts 9:1-6 with the Recenter With Christ app
The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.
Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.
Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted
for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or
anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do
so, I invite you to close your eyes.
Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:
Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your
stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.
Scripture for Meditation
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.”
NKJV
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the
disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters
from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who
were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to
Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone
around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a
voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is
hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me
to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you
will be told what you must do.”
Meditation:
Saul, who later would have his name changed to Paul, was a man trying to carry out the law of Moses. He aggressively was seeking to carry out the law which would demand justice for sacrilege specifically for someone saying they were the son of God when they were not. Before his conversion, he didn’t know or understand that this was God’s true law so he tried to have them punished according to the law of Moses. By all evidence Paul is a passionate person who pursues the will of the Lord as he sees it. He was trying to do God’s will although imperfectly. He sees vision and immediately seeks to change his actions to what the Lord requests..
The phrase kick against the pricks or goads is not in every ancient manuscript so some translations dont include it, but it is a reference to an equivalent of ancient cattle prods to move animals. If the animal kicked against the direction from the master it would be hurt. Paul was being hurt by his actions that were in contrast to what God wanted for his disciples. Weather in the form of a tormented conscience, or other spiritual consequences.This presents an incredibly valuable lesson for us who seek God’s justice and mercy on earth
Saul is afraid and immediately seeks to follow the
direction God may give. The answer God gives is a simple one. The
next right step. He does not lay out the whole gospel to Paul. He
just points him in the right direction. Many times our corrections
come this way. If you seek the Lords direction, be willing to take
the next right step.
Meditation of Prayer:
Pray as directed by the Spirit.
Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him.
Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:
I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials.
Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life:
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Updates:
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Final Thought:
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