What shall I do, Lord?
‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. Acts 22:10 (NIV)
Let us use our imaginations for a moment. We have just been in a terrible accident. The extent of our injuries is not yet known, but we are blind. We are not sure exactly what happened, but we remember hearing a voice and seeing a bright light. The experience of our companions is different. Why have we been singled out?
A thousand questions cross our minds as we hear the voice. We do not know who is speaking to us, but we presume the voice to be divine, so we ask, “Who are you, Lord?” It is then that we find out that what we have believed and what we were doing was wrong. We thought we were doing God’s service, but instead, we were fighting against him.
First, there was the jolt from the fall, but now it seems minor compared to the shattering of our worldview. It is enough to send us into shock. An expected response might be, “Why did this happen to me?” Or, concerned about our injuries and blindness, we contemplate what is in store for the future.
Time for Action
In Christianity, particularly since the Reformation, there has been a bias against action in response to God. It is acceptable to believe in God, but to ask, “What shall I do, Lord,” comes a little too close to “being accepted because of our work.” Martin Luther, who called the book of James an “epistle of straw,” might have found this question problematic. Why did Paul not ask, “What shall I believe, Lord?”
An encounter with God should change us and evoke a response. Isaiah saw the Lord, “high and exalted,” and his initial reaction was this: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)
Isaiah was made aware of his actual condition as the result of his vision of God, but if that were the end of it, the result would be despair, even hopelessness. However, God does not reveal himself to man without having a greater purpose in mind. For Isaiah, after dealing with his sin, God issued a challenge, and Isaiah responded: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Never the Same
Every interaction with God may not be as dramatic as Paul’s was on the Damascus Road, but they will change a person. When Jesus reveals himself to us, we will have a choice. Will we be ready to say, “What shall I do, Lord?” Or will we depart, heavy-hearted, because we are not willing to ask the question, let alone forsake those things which have a hold on us to go closer and deeper with Jesus?
As he began his ministry, he walked beside the Sea of Galilee when he saw Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew working as fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” Their response: Immediately, they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus. Mark 1:18 (TPT). They did not hesitate or debate; they instantly obeyed. Their meeting with Jesus would change them forever.
In contrast to the response of Peter and Andrew, we can find in the Gospels the record of a wealthy young man who knew that Jesus had something to offer. Still, at the end of his meeting with Jesus, he went away sad because he was unwilling to let go of earthly riches in exchange for a treasure that would last forever.
We should give the young man some credit because he was at least willing to ask the question. How many people are unwilling to even go to Jesus and ask the question, “What shall I do, Lord?” Many people, regardless of what Jesus asks of them, would be reluctant to do it. For many, the price would be just too high to pay.
Every Day with Jesus
Will we ask the question, “What shall I do, Lord?” Not just once in a dramatic moment of salvation, but each day. It is not easy to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but it is easier if we are willing to do it each day. King David gives us a pattern to follow in Psalm 143:
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. Psalm 143:8–10
David is putting his life and his decisions into God’s hands. It begins with a desire to hear him every morning. He asks for guidance for the path that he is to take, and he knows that God can protect him from his enemies. He demonstrates that he is teachable and relies on the Holy Spirit to go before him and prepare the way.
It is not easy to surrender our decision-making to God. When we struggle with this, we should remember the messes we have made when trying to do things our own way. Also, our burdens are too heavy to carry by ourselves.
“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30 (CEB)
Steve Ekeroth
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