I wonder what Saul thought about during his three days of blindness? Here he had been persecuting Christ's church in the name of Judaism, and now he had undeniable proof he was wrong.
I'm sure he thought about the men, women, and children he had hurt or even killed in his zealous acts against Christians. He could probably see their faces in his mind's eye. He probably thought about the stoning of Stephen. He had held the coats for all the men who stoned that Christian to death.
I'm sure he thought about forgiveness. Would God forgive him of the open defiance he had shown against God's Son? He spent "three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank" (Acts 9:9). In his blindness, Saul could see his sins clearly and understand his failures and realize how badly he had messed up.
Then Ananias came, at the direction of the Lord, to lay his hands on Saul. Something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again! He called on the name of the Lord through the act of baptism for the forgiveness of his sins. 1 Pet. 3:21 calls baptism "an appeal to God for a good conscience."
For Saul, this had to be such a powerful feeling - knowing God had just forgiven him for all those terrible things he had done! And so we see the apostle Paul, for Saul was also called Paul (Acts 13:9), went forward from that day never to look back. He never let the memory of his forgiveness die. In a letter he wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:12-17) he said:
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,
13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;
14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Let us not forget God's forgiveness in our lives. That will keep us humble, motivated, committed. We all were once blind, and through God's grace we can now see!
God bless,
Nathan