Friends in Christ Weekly Message
April 24, 2004

     A follower named Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. Ananias answered, "Lord, here I am."
     The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. When you get there, you will find a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. Saul is praying, and he has seen a vision. He saw a man named Ananias coming to him and putting his hands on him, so that he could see again."
     Ananias replied, "Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem. Now the chief priests have given him the power to come here and arrest anyone who worships in your name."
     The Lord said to Ananias, "Go! I have chosen him to tell foreigners, kings, and the people of Israel about me. I will show him how much he must suffer for worshiping in my name."
     Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, "Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit."
     Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized. Then he ate and felt much better.

     For several days Saul stayed with the Lord's followers in Damascus. Soon he went to the Jewish meeting places and started telling people that Jesus is the Son of God.
Acts 9:10-20 (CEV*)

Suppose you got a vision in which you were told to go and lay hands on a noted persecutor of your group, someone who had been given official sanction for this persecution. What would be your reaction? This is what happened to Ananias. He at first questioned the Lord about this, but upon being reassured that it was in fact what he was called to do, he was obedient. And the Lord used him to heal the man he had dreaded, who became a powerful witness for the Lord.

You may never get a call on your life that seems quite as dramatically crazy as this. But it's not at all unlikely that God will ask you to do something that you at least do not understand. Like Ananias, we each need to put aside our doubts when we get direction from God, and simply do whatever we are called to do. We can trust God to use us if we are obedient.

Bill Samuel

* Contemporary English Version ©1995 American Bible Society.

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