But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 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. 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 9:1-6 ESV)
Those have to have been the most devastating words any human being ever heard. “Who are You, Lord?” Paul asks. And the voice from heaven replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
But what gets me is the very next word: “But.” Jesus doesn’t stop with the devastating thing He’s just said to Paul. In the very same breath He says, “But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” Jesus doesn’t dwell on Paul’s guilt. He doesn’t yell at him or make any further reference to the whole disastrous mess. He just tells him what to do next.
And then Jesus arranges the next step for Paul. He calls an ordinary Christian named Ananias and tells him to go visit Paul and heal him and welcome him. Ananias is taken aback, but he does what Jesus says (naturally!), and very soon Paul is baptized and ready to meet his new Christian brothers and sisters.
What I love about this is the extremely calm, matter-of-fact way Jesus deals with Paul’s sin. That tells me how He will deal with me, too, when I get into some horrible mess. He won’t scream at me or threaten me or do anything, really, except get me out of the mess and wash me clean. And then He’ll let me know what to do next in His service.
What a wonderful Lord we have, who loved us so much He gave Himself for us—taking our suffering, experiencing our death, and rising from the dead so that He could give us His own everlasting life! What patience, what love, what calmness! No wonder we love Him.
We Pray: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your loving patience with me. Keep me with You forever. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on January 20, 2026
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
► Can you remember a time when someone could have yelled at you, but didn’t?
► How did you feel when they showed you grace?
► Ask the Lord to show you His own gracious love more clearly, and to use you to show it to others.