Day 13: Acts 9:1-22

Put yourself in the moccasins of Ananias. As a follower of Jesus in Damascus, you are fully aware of Saul’s mission to arrest people like you and throw you in jail. Clearly you are not aware of the encounter that Saul had with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Would you be excited about being in the same room as the premier persecutor of Christians of your time? Would a lamb relish the thought of being left alone with a hungry lion?

That is why Ananias is so startled when the Lord tells him in a vision: “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

 

That Saul? The one whose very name struck terror in the heart of every believer? No way, Jesus!

Once Jesus answers his objections, we are told that “Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, 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.”

 

As a result, Ananias has the distinction of being the one who baptizes Saul, the terrorist who goes on to become an evangelist, Paul, the greatest apostle of all time.

Ananias was not eager about his assignment, but he was willing to act in obedience.

Not that long ago, our dear friend and contributor to DWOD Ron Mills had a word for my wife, Sulojana. The gist of the prophecy was that God wanted Sulojana to come out from her comfort zone (behind the scenes supporting me) and be out in front of everyone (while I receded into the background).

Those who know Sulojana well are aware that she would rather be be in the shadows than in the limelight. When she received these words from Ron, she was not exactly excited about them. (At least I don’t recall her jumping up and down and doing a Hallelujah breakdance!)

Noticing the expression on her face, Ron said with a smile, but in a firm voice: “You don’t have to be eager, you just have to be willing.”

Ananias was not the first one in the Bible to be recruited for a job that he was not eager to do. To give you just a couple of illustrations…

Consider Jonah. God told him to go to Nineveh. He chose to go in the opposite direction to Tarshish. This decision gets him into more trouble than anticipated. Ultimately, Jonah learns that you don’t need to be eager, just willing.

Or take Esther. She is not exactly excited about going to the King’s court uninvited and risk getting executed. But Mordecai makes it clear that she does not have to be eager, just willing. She calls a fast, goes to the court, finds favour…and the rest is history.

Is it safe to say that many of us who follow Jesus are not particularly eager about evangelism? It pushes us out of our comfort zone. We risk rejection. We could even face persecution. Yet, it is exactly what Jesus commissioned us to do. So, it is not a matter of whether we are eager or not. What really matters is whether we are willing.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:14-15)

How about you, dear friend? Are you willing to obey, even when you’re not eager? If the willingness of Ananias and Esther are any indication, it is certainly worth the risk. Amen?