And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. Acts 22:6
Suddenly! What a difference that word makes. On one side of suddenly, Saul of Tarsus is a proud and zealous Pharisee; on the other side of suddenly, he is a witness to the saving power of the blood of Christ. On one side of suddenly, he is a persecutor of the Saints; on the other side of suddenly, he is a preacher of the Gospel. On one side of suddenly, he is an upholder and maintainer of the Law; on the other side of suddenly, he is a passionate proclaimer of the marvellous grace of God. On one side of suddenly, he is the chief of sinners; on the other side of suddenly, he is the apostle to the Gentiles. All because of a light that suddenly shone down upon him on the Damascus road, a light that penetrated not only his eyelids but also reached his very soul. Paul experienced other sudden events along his Christian experience, but none that made such a huge difference to him.
We have all experienced at least one sudden experience, the moment when we first grasped the truth that delivered us from wrath and brought us into the glorious light of God’s salvation. It is a moment, a suddenly, that we all go back to as we remember God’s working in our experience to bring us to Himself. From a moment when we were in the darkness of sin, we moved into a sudden realization that our sins were covered by the blood of Calvary. From a moment when we were bewailing the fact that God must shut us away from Himself forever, we moved suddenly into the reality that we are accepted in the Beloved. From a moment when we were aliens and strangers to God, we were suddenly translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. Who but God in His marvellous grace could pack such a vast difference into one little word! And He is still doing it.
The late Annie Haines was telling us of the time when she first grasped the truth of God’s gathering place, God’s Assembly. As she studied the Scriptures, she came to a point when suddenly it all became very clear to her how God intended that His people should be gathered. Those who knew our dear sister will know how passionately she clung to those truths for the rest of her life. John Purdy had a somewhat similar experience. He was a staunch supporter of a particular denominational group, but his wife was in an Assembly fellowship. One Lord’s Day morning, he accompanied her to the meeting, and sat observing the Breaking of Bread. Suddenly, as he was watching the order of the meeting, he realized, ‘This is what God wants!’ Countless others have similar stories, as well as accounts of how God suddenly revealed His guidance to them on matters such as a life partner, a career, a business or family decision, and so forth.
Always remain open to God’s leading and direction, because He will make His will plain to us, and sometimes it happens suddenly. – Jim MacIntosh