“Lord, what do You want me to do?”

But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. Acts 9:6 ESV

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:6 NKJV

I was reading a sermon by Smith Wigglesworth in which he highlighted the question that Paul asked in his Damascus road experience with God.  “Lord, what do You want me to do?”.  Smith indicated Paul’s immediate change in disposition to one of yieldedness. 

As I began to study the passage, I found that most modern translations don’t include the phrase. Only the NKJV has kept what was originally in the KJV, “what wilt thou have me do?” How could a whole phrase be left out?

Bible Hub has a thread of each verse with the parallel Greek translations by date. In other words, as the translators find more greek manuscripts, they assess which is the oldest and closest to the original writings in order to use the best translation. The latest Greek manuscript which included this phrase was from Scrivener’s Textus Receptus 1894. 

When updates need to be made, they update  the corresponding versions which we read. Sometimes they omit it and put an * footnote, that the oldest manuscripts don’t include the phrase. Or they Italicize it and make a footnote that it is not included in the oldest greek text.

I think I would choose the latter for this verse for two reasons. First, Paul includes the question in a parallel passage in Acts 22:10 where he recounts his conversion experience. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ Acts 22:10. Secondly, the text which they translate from, starts with a conjunction, alla or But. This word implies that some information before hand needs addressing. I’ve been told that I am not to begin a sentence with “but”, yet here it is in the greek. That conjunction is not used in the 1894 translation.

Okay, I took you way, way, way down into the weeds of translation theory. Why? When I read  the sermon, I was intrigued by the yielded question, but I could not find it in my Bible. The question reveals the immediate heart change of Paul. “Lord, what do You want me to do?” St. Paul starts his relationship with Jesus by a willingness to follow whatever Jesus asks him to do

He was going to Damascus to arrest Christians, but now he is following the commands of Jesus. He was committed to stomping out the Jesus narrative of a risen Savior, now he aligns as a believer. He was going in one direction to bring harm to others, now he is awaiting instruction. 

“Lord, what do You want me to do?” Paul added no exceptions to his immediate obedience. There was no hesitation to say, first let me get my sight back. He did not enter into a negotiation with God about losing credibility with his status in life. Paul was completely yielded.

What would your day or life look like, if you followed Paul’s yielded question, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Would you continue in every activity that you have already planned? Or would you make changes to the where you go and what you would be doing? How do you discern when God is asking you to make a course direction?

Some directions are small, but important. If you have offended someone, He may ask you to go and ask for forgiveness. He may ask you to get up a little earlier to read His word or pray. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and follow Me.”

Some invitations are bigger in the sense they are course corrections of your life. It is okay to take longer to discern if God is asking you to make major changes. But once you have a decided heart, obey in faith.

A similar concept that Pam and I have tried to live by is the open palm display. We literally take our hands and turn them with palms facing up. Jesus, you can place anything you want in our hands and we will receive it. You can also take anything from us, for all that we have is from You. This is an expression of dependence and trust that is very similar to yieldedness. 

Let’s wrap this up for today with some prerequisites. First, our Father God loves you and is for you. He is good and leads us in a good pathway. He is for you and not against you. So, when you yield to your heavenly Father, He will lead to a place where He is with you always.There will be green pastures and dark valleys, but His presence will remain and lead you through.

Are you bold enough to ask the question, pause to listen, and make adjustments to obey what He asks of you? “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Blessings Love y’all