Acts 9:10” In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.11“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”15“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”
17 So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.”
Ananias was ready to freak out! Surely he must be going crazy! All the Christians in Damascus had heard about Saul coming to arrest them and most of them were already in hiding. A few people had heard some weird story about Saul being struck blind on the way to Damascus, but most of the Christians figured this must be a ruse, a trick to entice the Christians to come out of hiding so that Saul could make a clean sweep and haul all of them off to Jerusalem. No! Nobody was buying the story about bright lights and heavenly voices. And anyway, the men who were accompanying Saul were every bit as bad; if Saul was having health problems, these men could still carry out the arrests.
Ananias had actually sent his family out to the country where they would be safe, and that afternoon he was planning to join them. But Ananias decided to pray before he left town and that’s when he got the shock of his life! As Ananias was praying, God told him to go find Saul and to lay hands on him AND PRAY FOR HIM TO RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! And to make things even more interesting, Paul was lodging with some fellow named Judas on Straight Street, probably one of the major streets in Damascus. So God was asking Ananias to risk going into the main part of Damascus to pray for this man who was a sworn enemy of Christians.
Ananias must have prayed long and hard before he decided that yes, this really was God. Ananias probably asked the Lord, “Are you REALLY SURE about this? You know who Saul is! This man has come into town to haul us all off to Jerusalem for who knows what kind of punishment.” At the point, God probably didn’t say anything. And then Ananias continued, “Oh, all right, Lord! But if I go there and this man or his assistants arrest me, please take care of my family! And if I have to face crucifixion, give me the courage and grace to do so!”
God knew whom to send as a messenger. Ananias only figures in this one story in the New Testament, but it’s really a great story. What makes Ananias such an outstanding believer? He obeyed! What we are NOT told is what Ananias was thinking as he headed for Judas’ house on Straight Street. Was Ananias striding down the street as rapidly as he could to get things over with, or was he walking very slowly and greeting everybody he could on the way in the hope that God would change His mind before Ananias arrived at Judas’ house?
When Ananias reached Judas’ house, he did exactly as God had commanded. It must have cost Ananias a big effort to refer to Saul as “Brother Saul,” but he was obedient. And Saul was miraculously healed! Scales fell from Saul’s eyes and his vision was restored. Saul got up, was baptized, and took the first food and water he had had in three days. And after that, Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
There are many times when God asks us to do something unpleasant, and we react similarly to Ananias. ”Lord, you must be kidding!” But God’s ways are higher than ours. All Saul’s life, God had been preparing him to become the Apostle Paul who would write a great deal of the New Testament and who would become one of the major figures of the early Christian Church. And Saul had spent three days in complete darkness, fasting from both food and water. For Saul, fasting was a natural response; as an observant Pharisee, Saul was used to fasting at set times throughout the year. Why three days? That’s how long it took for Saul to come to the end of himself and to be willing to listen to God instead of his prejudices.
We all should be thankful for Ananias. Had Ananias failed in his mission, Saul might have remained blind for the rest of his life and might never have converted. Many times, important Christian leaders have been brought to a decision by someone very humble who was being obedient. Dwight L. Moody, the famous American evangelist of the late 19th century, was led to the Lord in the back of a Boston shoe store by his Sunday School teacher. Many remember Moody, but few remember Edward Kimball, who told Moody of God’s love for him.
Today, God may be asking you to do something difficult and you rather wish He would ask someone else. But remember, Ananias was part of a big healing and also part of St. Paul’s ministry…all because he walked over to Judas’ house that afternoon and prayed fo a man named Saul.
PRAYER Father God, thank you for loving us. Thank you, that you allow us to be part of the things you are doing in the world. Lord, help us never to hold back but to follow your leading, knowing that we will be part of something wonderful, even if we don’t see all the results. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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