On the Road to Pentecost: Give God Your Full Attention

Saul, born a Roman citizen, had all the privileges and advantages of his status. An acknowledged leader of Judaism, highly educated and zealous in his faith, Saul was proud of this distinction and demonstratively opposed to any followers of The Way of the Lord. Saul was convinced that they were heretics and therefore must be exterminated. With determined devotion to his belief, and sure of being on the right course, his persecution was relentless.

On the road to Damascus, Saul, on a mission to arrest these heretical followers of Jesus, had an unforgettable encounter.

As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” he asked. “I am Jesus, whom you persecute,” the voice said. “But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do.”  (Acts 9:3-6 GNT)

Jesus, Himself! Can you imagine Saul’s absolute shock? Not only was he literally knocked off his high horse, but to hear “I am Jesus” and at the same time be blinded by the brilliant Light? Terrifying! Enough to make a big man cry. And cry he did, I’m sure, while groping around on the ground in complete darkness asking, “Who are you, Lord?” must have been a sobbing enquiry.

God got his full attention.

Moses, after committing murder in Egypt, was on the run (see Exodus 2:11-12). Living life as a fugitive, he was tending sheep and goats for his father-in-law on the far side of the desert near the back side of Mount Sinai, when he had an inexplicable experience.

He saw a bush on fire but it wasn't being consumed by the fire. Curious, Moses went closer to investigate. While moving in for a better look, a voice from within this burning bush called out to him, “Moses! Moses!”

Oh hello…and Moses did not take off running? No, he did not, instead Moses talked back to this talking fiery bush.

He answered, “Yes, here I am.”

God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 3:4-6a GNT).

God got his full attention.

The course of the lives of both these men, Saul and Moses, changed when they gave God their full attention.

Beloved, when you give God your full attention, your life will be forever changed. You simply cannot go back to the life you lived before. You may have planned out your life but when God gets your full attention…

You may make your plans, but God directs your actions. (Proverbs 16:9 GNT)

Saul had a foolproof plan that day on his way to Damascus. Oh yes, nothing and nobody was going to get in his way; well, he had another think coming, “suddenly…get up and go…where you will be told”

I am sure that Moses never planned to go back to Egypt, but God had a different plan for him. God used Moses to rescue Israel from bondage in that same Egypt and lead His people to the outskirts of the spacious and fertile Promised Land. Not only that, God established a binding relationship with Moses.

Moses climbed that same Mount Sinai, not from the back side, to enter into God’s glorious Presence, to receive God’s commandments. All of this transpired because Moses gave God his full attention, and God used him in ways he could never have imagined possible.

Remember Saul who had planned to make arrests but was himself arrested after his light-blinding groundbreaking encounter with the Lord? Well upon his conversion, he became Paul, the Apostle used by God to open the door of the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. 

Paul, with his aggressive teaching ministry, had a profound impact on them causing many a conversion. And his teachings still impact us all as we read the more than three quarters of the books of the New Testament written by him.

When you give God your full attention, He will lead you into a reality that is beyond your current ability to comprehend. There is no turning back because you won’t want to.

Like Moses and Paul, you become keenly aware of God’s Presence as your spirit is set ablaze and suddenly you see the light.

On the road to Pentecost, listen attentively, the Lord knows your name, He wants to speak to you, He longs to change the course of your life. And even though you have no idea which way to go, know that God will direct your path. So, when you hear the call, give God your full attention.

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “On the Road to Pentecost: Give God Your Full Attention“ © 2025 May 20, 2025