This Is the Way: A 30-Day Journey Through the Book of ActsSample

The Disoriented Seeker

By Elizabeth Demarest

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” —Acts 9:3-6 (ESV)

Saul, who was later renamed Paul, yearned for something beyond words—a deep, indescribable longing to uncover the meaning of life and answer the ultimate questions: “Who am I, and why am I here?” The words given in Acts 9 reveal the disoriented seeker, Saul, on a rampage to fill the void in his desperate soul that no amount of influence or education could satisfy.

To add to Saul’s current state of spiritual blindness, his mentors only made matters worse by endorsing a campaign for Saul to persecute followers of the Way (Jesus). His next mission would be driven by hostility toward the name of Jesus of Nazareth, as the crusade sought to imprison Christ’s followers and lead them to their executions.

Walking with his entourage on a dusty road to Damascus, his insatiable thirst for meaning was quenched when Jesus Christ, the One and only, introduced Himself. Not everyone can say they’ve had a similar experience to the Apostle Paul’s moment of conversion. Imagine a blinding light followed by an audible voice coming forth and a presence so overwhelming that it forces you to the ground. In a dramatic twist, Saul is struck blind and unable to eat or drink. Because of his utter shock and confusion, a desperate Saul finds himself further disoriented—an encounter God uses to reorient his life toward the cross.

Despite the uniqueness of Saul’s encounter with Christ, we all have one thing in common with his testimony: the opportunity to answer the call from Jesus Himself. Like Saul, we’re all disoriented, blind seekers longing to be found. Os Guinness captured these emotions well when he said, “The secret to seeking is not in our human ascent to God, but in God’s descent to us. We start out searching, but we end up being discovered. We think we are looking for something; we realize we are found by Someone.”[1] Saul was found on that road, and the love of Jesus was so real that he spent the rest of his life serving God and telling as many people as possible about the Way he once persecuted.

Like Saul, I also had an encounter with Jesus. I marvel at how God, the Creator of all things, spared no expense to go on a rescue mission deep in the Amazon Rainforest for me, a missionary kid who only spoke Portuguese. I grew up in my parent’s church in Brazil and heard about Jesus from a young age—it was a regular part of my life. While I’d often heard about Jesus, I hadn’t met Him yet.

As I got older and began to grasp what my dad was preaching about, I started wanting the joy my parents had. They didn’t have the same fear of dying and going to hell that I did. Like Saul, I was a disoriented seeker longing for peace and purpose.

Finally, after many attempts of seeking yet still doubting, the same Jesus of Nazareth who stopped Saul in his tracks came to meet me in the small wooden church built by my dad next to our homestead. On a humid Sunday afternoon, Jesus met me at the altar where I stood, and I responded to Him. My fear and doubt were replaced with warmth and love. My heart found rest in Christ, and my anxiety fled like a thief in the night. Finally, my soul found what it longed for, because it was always meant to be inseparable from God. Since I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, my life has had fulfillment and meaning—His presence and peace is forever with me.

When we respond to God and say “Yes” to following Him, we become the most authentic version of ourselves. We’re no longer aimlessly wandering and searching; we’ve found the One whom our souls long for. And to be clear, there’s no calling without a Caller—without God calling us to Him, there’s only endless striving and an empty pursuit. The One who calls to our souls is the same One who fulfills our souls: Christ Himself.

Do you feel like the disoriented seeker, longing for purpose and fulfillment that leads to peace? Christ made a way for you to access the Father. Christ has also prepared a place where you can be with Him for all eternity. In fact, even before creation, there was placement. He predestined before the foundation of the world to adopt you as a son or daughter according to the good pleasure of His will (see Ephesians 1:4–5).

Don’t know where to start? Your starting point is Jesus Christ! He will lead you to the cross today and then every day after that. Ask, seek, and knock—follow Jesus and answer the call.

[1]Guinness, Os. The Call: Finding and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life. Thomas Nelson, 2018, 14.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, thank You for coming down to meet me where I am and for choosing me first. I acknowledge my need for a Savior. As I surrender my all, I respond to the call and accept my place in Christ Jesus. May all that I do be an overflow of who I am in response to my “yes,” as I spend all the days of my life serving You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activation

• Do you find yourself lost and seeking purpose? Say “yes” and surrender to Jesus, or you will always be longing for something inexpressible—an undefinable desire—in search of life’s meaning. Ask God to reveal anything keeping you from total surrender to Him and His plans for your life.
• In surrendering, you can find a transformative power that will give your life new meaning. Ask God to fill you with His power every day. It may be difficult to admit your need for rescue, but if you dare, I encourage you to be bold and not delay your surrender; this is the most important decision you’ll ever make.

For Further Study

Acts 9; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:3–10;1 Peter 1:18–21;Revelation 13:8

Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?