Acts 9:10-17

How would you like to be Ananias, given an assignment like this from the Lord? This required some serious trust on Ananias’ part. In fact, so much so that Ananias questioned whether the Lord really knew who this guy was—as if God didn’t know.

How ridiculous do we sound sometimes when we question God’s directives? It wouldn’t be faith if we didn’t have to use it, and I believe God has proven Himself more than trustworthy. It is still difficult at times, yet Ananias’ obedience to God’s directive paved the way for all of us to have the letters Saul, later known as Paul, wrote, which make up two-thirds of the New Testament.

And how about Saul? What was going through his mind during the three days he sat blind? God showed him a vision of Ananias coming to pray for him, but he was experiencing God’s mercy in real time as the realization set in that he had been on the wrong side of things. God extended His undeserved mercy, which God paid forward, for He knew His plans for Saul and the many lives that would be saved throughout the ages because of his witness. In fact, it is something Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians that was a key Scripture helping me see my need for salvation:

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I felt I had been a good person, but this Scripture showed me that what I did did not qualify me—what I believed did. I realized in that moment that, should I die, I had not sealed the deal, so to speak, by believing in Jesus and openly confessing Him as my Lord.

So you see, I am thankful to Ananias for being obedient to the Lord. My salvation, it could be said, is credited to his account, as well as the salvation of everyone who has come to know the Lord through Paul’s teachings.

There are no insignificant acts of obedience with the Lord. Lives often hang in the balance.