Acts 9:13-16, “Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.”
Ananias was perfectly content to go about his daily life of doing going and serving the Lord. That is until the Lord spoke to him and told him to go to see a man who was arresting all those who followed Jesus. The Lord speaking to him did not surprise him it was what God wanted him to do that caused him to set up right in bed. “Are you sure you really want me to go see this man? You do know he is doing much evil to your followers in Jerusalem? You do understand he has authority from the high priest to arrest me as soon as he knows who I am?” God said, “Yes I am very aware of who he is. He is a chosen vessel. I have selected him to carry my name before the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. So get up and go Saul is waiting I told him you were coming.”
Notice something here Ananias was just to go give Saul back his sight. He was not to be afraid of him. He was to go help him prepare for what the Lord had planned for him to do. Saul, soon to be Paul, was called to preach unto the Gentiles. Then he was to preach to those in authority then he was to speak to the Jews. That was God’s plan. Paul was always getting that backward. He wanted to go the Jews first then he would get around to the rest. As a result he was always suffering at the hand of the Jews.
Remember before his conversion Paul was doing all the wrong things by persecuting the Christians. Then after he got saved he kept trying to do his ministry in his own way. He felt he should be talking to the Jews first. Keep in mind he had once been one of the religious elite. Knew the law backward and forward and knew the Jews were God’s chosen people. So why shouldn’t he talk to the Jews first? That was not God’s plan. Paul knew he would face adversity after adversity as he faced the Gentiles, who hated the Jews, as he faced the kings who every one hated, and as he faced the Jews who now hated him. What a way to start a ministry. In Romans 7:18-25 we get a glimpse of what was going on in Paul head. He is struggling with the same thing we all struggle with, the same feelings of frustration that we have with our own sinful nature. Paul had trouble getting it right, so we can really relate to him. Verse 25 says it all, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” of the same feelings of frustration that I have with my own sinful nature. Paul had trouble getting it right, so I can really relate to him.
Getting back to Ananias; what would we do if God spoke to us like He spoke to Ananias and told us to go to places we knew we would not be welcomed. Or at least places we thought we would not be welcomed. If God were to give us a glimpse of His plan would we still question His direction? Ananias did and I bet we would as well. Paul knew what he was fixing to face and he began his ministry and served the Lord with full knowledge of the consequences of that service. Could we say the same thing as Paul and would we go as Ananias did?
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