“What shall I do, LORD?”
The full verse · Acts 22:10 · KJV
I , shall I , ? the , , and ; and it shall be all are for to .
Asked by
Paul: then called Saul, who has just learned that the voice from heaven is "Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest" (Acts 22:8)
The Scene
On the Damascus road, moments after the voice from heaven identifies Himself as Jesus of Nazareth, Saul, fallen to the ground, hears the Lord while his companions, who saw the light, are afraid (Acts 22:7-9).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionSaul now knew he had been fighting the Lord, and he asked for orders. Barnes, on the parallel in Acts 9:6, says that "Just before, he had sought only to do his own will"; now he asked what the Lord's will was. Gill sees a man "pricked to the heart, and filled with a sense of sin." Matthew Henry gives Saul's thought this way: "Let the same voice from heaven that has stopped me in the wrong way guide me into the right way." It is the question of someone who has stopped resisting.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe Lord answered, "Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do" (Acts 22:10). Saul obeyed. Blinded by "the glory of that light," he was led by the hand into the city (Acts 22:11). There Ananias came, restored his sight, and told him God had chosen him to be "his witness unto all men" (Acts 22:12-15).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe KJV prints "LORD" in capital letters in this verse. In Luke's own account the question reads, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and Saul is described as "trembling and astonished" (Acts 9:6).
Jesus did not lay out Saul's whole future on the road. He gave one step and promised the rest would be told. Barnes, on Acts 9:6, finds it remarkable that even after this direct encounter Saul was sent to others for instruction. The man who had come to Damascus with letters to bind believers (Acts 22:5) would now wait there to be taught by one.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question shows how God often leads: one step at a time. Saul asked "What shall I do?" and received a short answer: go into the city and wait. The fuller plan, that he would be a witness "unto all men" (Acts 22:15) and be sent "far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21), came later, through Ananias (Acts 22:14-15) and in a trance in the temple (Acts 22:17-21).
It also shows that God's call includes the people of God. Jesus could have told Saul everything Himself. Instead He sent him to Ananias, a "devout man according to the law" (Acts 22:12). The persecutor of the church would be welcomed by a member of it with the words "Brother Saul" (Acts 22:13).
Look Closer
What did the Lord tell Saul to do first?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, I want to stop going my own way; what is the next step You are asking me to take?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Saul was given one step, not the whole plan. Why might God lead you one step at a time?
- Who has God used to help you understand what He wanted you to do? Tell about that person.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
"What shall I do, Lord?" is a good question to bring to God whenever you realize you've been going the wrong way. Saul did not argue or bargain. He asked for direction and then did the next thing he was told.
You may want the whole map before you move. Often God gives one step. Obey that step, and trust that more will be "told thee" in His time (Acts 22:10).
Notice too that Saul's next instructions came through another believer (Acts 22:12-16). Be open to direction that comes through other believers, as Saul was with Ananias.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources