“Lord, what do You want me to do?”

So often in my prayers I am asking the Lord about things I want Him to do for me.  It is my intention to be a faithful disciple, to follow Him obediently.  But still, I tell God what I want Him to do.  Of course, prayers in scripture are  full of examples of godly people asking God for help, blessings, and forgiveness.  God intends for us to go to Him with our petitions.

All this stands in stark contrast to the question raised up by Saul in Acts 9:6:  “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  Jesus suddenly appeared to Saul who was traveling to Damascus to arrest Christians.  Saul fell to the ground and then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?”  (Acts 9:3-4).  Saul asked, “Who are You, Lord?  Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. “ (Acts 9:4-5).

At this point the text tells us that Saul is trembling and astonished.  Saul knows who Jesus is and is on a mission to destroy the followers of Jesus and His message.  He has been responsible for the imprisonment, beatings and killing of Christians.  Saul is trembling and astonished because he is confronted by Jesus, who was crucified and who Saul assumed was still dead.  Saul sees the resurrected Jesus, and is confronted by his own violent behavior.  Standing before the Lord, he is afraid and asks the only appropriate questions:  “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.” (Acts 9:6).  Saul now knows that Jesus is the resurrected Christ and that He is Lord.  Whatever He tells Saul to do, he will do.  Saul is so humbled that he goes into the city and waits three days for the Christians to tell him what to do to be saved.  May we never lose our humility, our consciousness of sin, and our sense of unworthiness that causes us to ask the Lord to tell us what to do.  Whatever He instructs we must do.