This Week's Devo

  From Ravager to Redeemed

A testimony is a powerful thing.

Words land differently when you know the story behind them.

If you’ve ever walked through the heartbreak of miscarriage, you know exactly what I mean. Well-meaning people try to comfort you. They offer phrases meant to soothe but that somehow cut instead. “At least you weren’t too far along.”
And you sit there thinking, You have no idea what this feels like.

But when someone who has been there sits beside you — no platitudes, no comparisons — just quiet understanding… their words carry weight. Not because they are more eloquent. But because their story proves they understand.

Their testimony changes how you receive what they say.

And that matters deeply when we read the words of Paul.

In the opening chapter of Ephesians, Paul writes a stunning prayer for believers. He asks God to give them wisdom. Insight. Revelation. He prays that the “eyes of their heart” would be enlightened — that they would truly see the hope, inheritance, and power available to them in Christ.

It is a bold prayer.

And it becomes even more powerful when we pause to ask:

Who is this man praying for our vision?

A Prayer That Hits Different

In Epistle to the Ephesians 1:16–19, Paul writes:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know the hope of His calling… the riches of His glorious inheritance… and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

Paul longs for believers to truly see — to grasp hope, inheritance, and power.

But here’s what makes that prayer astonishing:

The man asking God to open our eyes was once spiritually blind.

Enter Saul

Before he was Paul the apostle, he was Saul — and we meet him in one of the darkest scenes in the early Church.

In Acts 7, Stephen is being stoned for boldly proclaiming Jesus as Messiah. And there, standing close enough to hold the coats of the executioners, is a young man named Saul.

He wasn’t a bystander.

He approved.

He agreed.

He ravaged the Church. He dragged men and women from their homes and put them in prison. Scripture says he was “breathing threats and murder.”

Saul believed he was right. He believed his hatred was justified. He believed he was defending God.

He was wrong.

The Power of the Backstory

Why does this matter?

Because when Paul later prays for believers to understand grace, hope, and the power of God — he isn’t speaking theoretically.

He is living proof.

He knows what it is to be rescued from blindness.
He knows what it is to be transformed from persecutor to preacher.
He knows what it is to carry a past that could have disqualified him — but didn’t.

His testimony gives weight to his words.

And it should give hope to us.

Let’s Be Honest

Most of us cringe when we look back at parts of our story.

Maybe you weren’t “ravaging the Church,” but perhaps you were:

Running from God

Living for approval

Making choices you now regret

Believing lies about your worth

Our past becomes a filter. It colors how we see ourselves.

Unforgivable.
Unlovable.
Weak.
Disqualified.

But here’s the truth:

Your past explains you.
It does not define you.

When God says in Isaiah 43:4 that you are precious, honored, and loved — He says that knowing your entire history.

Saul’s darkest chapter did not cancel God’s calling on his life.

And neither does yours.

A Gentle Challenge Today

If Paul’s testimony teaches us anything, it’s this:

Transformation is not reserved for “good” people.
It is the specialty of a gracious God.

What filters from your past are clouding how you see yourself today?

What labels have you allowed to stick?

It may be time to lay them down.

Take one small step of faith today and choose to believe that you are who God says you are — not who your past whispers that you must remain.

Because the same God who turned Saul into Paul
is still in the business of rewriting stories.

And yours isn’t finished yet.