“And when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand...And he was three days without sight..." (Acts 9:8-9).
Why would God allow a new convert, a babe in Christ, to be blind at his spiritual birth? It was not a punitive blindness, as Samson’s. What then, was the purpose? It was instructional. It was not permanent, as in Samson’s case, but temporary. God evidently wanted Paul to learn some important lessons early in his Christian life. Here is a short list of reasons, I believe, for his brief time of blindness:
He would lose sight of this world and the things in it. It no longer could impress him.
He now must walk by faith. No longer could he walk by sight.
He lost his independent spirit from others. He could no longer say, “I have no need of thee.”
His hearing would become more sensitive. He heard and understood the voice of Jesus, while those around him didn’t understand.
His handicap did not keep him from prayer: “Behold he prayeth.”
He could no longer judge people by the seeing of the eye. He must now judge, as His Lord, with equity (Isa.11:13-14)
He got a clear picture of Jesus. “Last of all, he was seen of me.”
May God in His mercy grant that each of us pass through this school of blindness, if we have not already. This school’s graduates are the ones who leave God’s mark on this world permanently. Paul’s has lasted over 2000 years now.
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