A young man, Paul, was born into a family with many troubles and a history of small catastrophes. His mother had sought God through her church. She would take Paul with her to protect him from the damaging influences of his dysfunctional childhood. He kept going to church with his mom until the age of eight. After that, he went with a friend who invited him to Sunday school, promising him fun moments and lots of knowledge. Paul loved it and was committed until he turned 16.
But life wasn’t easy on Paul. His family went through several crises and it seemed as though God never answered his prayers, even thouugh he often pleaded to the Lord. He fought hard in prayer to see changes in his life and circumstances, but the outcomes were always negative. He even had hopes to succeed in his high school exams after studying hard and begging God for success. Yet instead, he failed. Paul never had much financial support from his family, so he had to start working at a very young age. His situation always seemed to worsen, and in his mind, God never answered his pleas in the way he had expected. He eventually became embittered and convinced that there was no God. All of the Bible teaching he had learned became merely a hoax to him. Paul drifted from worshiping God to embracing atheism. He began working 15 hours a day to save money and build a stable future. But his life became a messy combination of sin: smoking, drinking, wild parties and impurity. However, during this time, his brother and his mother became disciples. Paul persecuted them harshly and forbade them from having Bible studies in their home. His mother often cried at church and requested prayers for her lost son. Then one night, while Paul was leaving his late night shift from the restaurant he worked at, an awful accident happened. It was after midnight and a car hit him on the highway. The driver sped away, leaving Paul in a pool of his own blood. Lying there in the road, Paul felt an unfamiliar power helping him drag himself from the middle of the highway so that other cars would not crush him. Paul had several broken bones and he was bleeding badly. He could scarcely breathe and he felt that this was the end of his miserable life. Suddenly a car stopped. The guys in it were customers from the restaurant that night and recognized him. They picked him and hurried him to the nearest hospital. That was his turning point. At the hospital, the disciples started visiting him and praying with him. He felt God’s presence. And as he was healing, he started studying the Bible. He did his studies on a daily basis despite having several painful operations. He didn’t want to waste time! He understood first hand that life is like vapor. He fought for his salvation despite his physical pain. Paul is a modern example similar to the apostle Paul. In Acts 9:4, we read “He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Our Paul was knocked down low on the highway and God called him as well to stop persecuting him. He didn’t become blind, but he lay broken in his bed for months while God revealed himself to him in miraculous ways. Our Paul repented from all his sins. He stopped drinking and smoking and he started coming to church in his wheelchair. In no time, he was added to the family of God. The day he was baptized, the church looked like a heavenly wedding with all the people coming and sharing about his life. To God be the glory! Amen
