Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” Acts 9:10-14
Have you ever been afraid to do something God is asking you to do? In this scripture, Saul was known for being a man who persecuted and even killed Christians. Ananias was a Christian. And here, God is about to change the heart of Saul, an evil man who hated God. He is about to heal him of his blindness and use him to reach many, many people for the Lord. But first, Ananias must obey God and have faith that God knows what he is doing.
You can imagine the fear Ananias must have felt to obey God and approach Saul. He must have heard countless stories of horrendous things Saul had done to Christians in the region. But still, he obeyed. And thank goodness he did! Because of Ananias’ obedience, God gave Saul back his sight and changed his heart. Saul (whose name was later changed to Paul) went on to become a major Christian force and in turn, wrote much of the New Testament.
What is God calling you to do? It may be to pray with a co-worker or, to invite someone into your home for a meal. Maybe it’s to call up an enemy and make amends. Or it could be an infinite number of other acts of obedience that God asks you to do. We never know how someone’s life can change because of our obedience to God. When we have faith like Ananias, God can use us to accomplish unimaginable things!
What is God asking you to do?