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Let me tell you a story about a man who received a revelation that transformed his life. You see, he hated Christians. He hated them.
With each step on the dusty road to Damascus, Saul’s mind replayed the scenes of his ruthless crusade against those who followed The Way. His purpose cut as sharp as the sword he carried—a weapon against a growing threat to his traditions and law.
Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed him. He staggered, falling to his knees, the dusty earth grinding into his palms. A voice pierced the silence, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul’s voice trembled.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the voice replied (Acts 9, NIV).
Most of us know that story by heart: The man who once zealously persecuted Christians became radically transformed into a zealous proponent of the faith. He became a missionary. His name was changed from “Saul” to “Paul.” He also wrote much of the New Testament.
How Revelations Transform Lives
It reminds us that no one is too far gone for God’s saving power. If he can change, then anyone can change. Our God is a God of forgiveness, of redemption, of second chances. He’s a God who fixes, who restores, who picks up our broken pieces and builds them into something beautiful. He’s a God who transforms us into something better.
Of course, Paul’s story isn’t the only story of revelation that transforms in Scripture. The Bible is filled with examples of such “ah-ha” moments, where God revealed Himself to average, everyday people and turned their lives around.
God still does that today. Maybe you need encouragement. Perhaps you’re praying for direction. If so, then draw inspiration from these five other stories of common people—like all of us— who were used mightily by God.
The Calling of Abraham: Genesis 12
As the enthusiastic children’s song says, “Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had Father Abraham; I am one of them, and so are you.” Abraham’s story begins in Genesis 12, where we learn that God told him to gather his family and go to a “land I will show you.”
“I will make you into a great nation …and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
We don’t know much about Abraham’s life prior to his encounter with God, other than he was a direct descendent of Noah and was 75 years old when he heard from God and traveled to a foreign land. His journey was not simply a physical relocation but a leap of faith, demonstrating his trust in God’s promise.
Living in a society where one’s family and geography determined your identity, Abraham moved. He obeyed. God transformed his life.
Jacob’s Ladder: Genesis 28
Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, was fleeing for his life one night when he lay down to sleep in a dry land, using a stone for a pillow.
God then appeared to him in a dream, showing him a “stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God” ascending and descending on it. God said to him in the dream, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. … I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Jacob woke up, anointed the stone with oil, and declared, “The Lord will be my God.”
No longer would people falsely believe they can reach heaven, as they had tried at the Tower of Babel. If we are to reach heaven, we need God to take the first step.
And no longer would Jacob live his life in fear. He had met the God of creation, and this was the revelation that transformed him.
Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-4:17)
Moses was tending a flock of sheep for his father-in-law one day when he stumbled upon an other-worldly sign: a fiery bush that didn’t burn. God called to him: “Moses! Moses!” Moses, surely started by all this, responded, “Here I am.” God then instructed him to remove his sandals, for the ground he was standing on was holy.
God had a mission for Moses: Go to Pharaoh and demand that he free the Israelites. If Pharaoh refused, God would send plagues. Eventually, of course, God allowed Moses’ brother, Aaron, to team up with him on the mission.
“I will be with you,” God said.
A man who fled Egypt after committing murder would now go back there under the protection of Yahweh and help free his people.
Moses’ life would never be the same again. In an instant, this was a revelation that transformed him from a shepherd to a prophet sent by God to free His people. As Moses learned, the God of Abraham is the God of second chances.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus: Luke 1:26-38
She is the most well-known woman in world history, and yet, for the first few years of her life, she was a common, unassuming Israelite girl, unknown outside her village. But God had a plan for Mary.
One day, an angel appeared to her and declared, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call him Jesus.”
Naturally, this confused Mary. But obedience quickly followed.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” she answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
We know how the story ends. Mary, though, did not have that foresight. She walked a path shrouded in mystery, placing her trust in the God who had led her ancestors out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Each step she took was a testament to her faith and her humility. That revelation that transformed Mary would go on to transform the world.
The Samaritan Woman at the Well: John 4:7-26
One day, a Samaritan woman approached a well to draw water. Little did she know that a divine encounter that would disrupt her routine would also transform her life.
Jesus, tired from His journey, asked her for a drink of water.
At first, this action took the woman aback—why would a Jewish man speak to her, a Samaritan, and a woman, no less? But as their dialogue deepened, Jesus spoke of water that would quench her soul.
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst,” Jesus said. “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Not surprisingly, the woman returned to town and told the people, excitedly, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
Further Reflection on Revelations that Transforms
Listen now to a short segment of this meditation from Abide based on Acts 9 and the revelation that transformed Saul’s life. Let God speak to you about how He wants to transform your life too.
Jesus cares for the lost. He reaches out to the outcast—chases after them. Our Redeemer takes ordinary people and remakes them into extraordinary vessels of His love and grace.
He alone can quench the thirst in our souls.
God transformed lives then. He transforms lives today.
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Michael Foust is the father of four young children and the husband of an amazing wife, Julie. He’s written for the Toronto Star, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Christianity Today and Crosswalk.
