If the Lord wants to enter your life, it is up to you to see the signs.

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and he counted it as righteousness.

7 And he said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldea to give you hereditary inheritance of this land.

8 And Abram said, Lord, Lord, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9 And he said to him, Bring me a three-year-old cow, and a three-year-old goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove and a young pigeon. 10 And he brought all these things, and divided them up in the midst of one another, and placed one part opposite the other. But he didn’t cut the birds. 11 And birds of prey fell on the victims; but Abram chased them away.

12 As the sun began to decline, Abram fell asleep, and, behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then it was said to Abram, You must know for sure that your descendants will be strangers in a land that does not belong to them; and there they will be compelled to serve and humbled for four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the people whom they must serve; then let them go out with great wealth. 15 And you shall go to your fathers in peace, and be buried in good old age. 16 But they are to come here again in the fourth generation; for the measure of the sins of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, behold, a furnace was smoking, and a torch of fire went between the pieces.

18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates: 19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Cadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Phheresites , the Rephaites, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgasites, and the Jebusites.

The Lord chose Abraham and Abraham believed the Lord.

John 14: 26 – but the assistance, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you.

27 Peace I leave you, my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives; do not stir your heart and do not despair!

John 14: 26 – but the assistance, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you.

27 Peace I leave you, my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives; do not stir your heart and do not despair!

The Lord encourages us to follow him. When we are ready to answer his call, it is not always easy for us. The Lord preceded us on the cross, and as disciples, sons and daughters of Jesus we too can expect a life of hardship. The meeting with God is often lonely, because it takes us away from the familiar, leads us on paths that are rough and rocky, far from comfort and convenience. But when we overcome all the adversity, we step stronger and free into our new life, which is characterized by love for God and our fellow human beings.

Using Saul’s example, we can see where a transformation, a turning to the Lord, can lead. Saul was a person who persecuted the Kristen with great zeal until he was “hit” by God himself. As he was on his way to Damascus, with the permission of the high priest, to persecute the followers of the new Lord, he heard the voice of the Lord. This shook him so much that he became blind and could not see for 3 days. Then the Lord sent the man Ananias to him, who laid his hand on him so that he could see again. The persecutor of the Christians became Paul who served the Lord. Saul’s conversion to Paul happened suddenly and unexpectedly.

So let us be vigilant, the door of God’s mercy is open, let us prepare for a meeting with Jesus! This meeting will certainly not be announced, it will hit us suddenly as soon as it hit Saul. But it is important that we are ready at all times and recognize the signs well.

Lord, help us to recognize these signs, not to ignore your call, then to follow you in readiness when you choose us.