A Small Part In a Big Start - May 14

Read Acts 9:10-12, 17a

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 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.”...So Ananias departed and entered the house…

Reflect

What is a seemingly small way that you can be obedient to the Lord today? Can you see anyway that God could use your small act of faithfulness in a much bigger way?

Imagine that the Lord Jesus suddenly appeared to you in a vision and gave you very specific directions to a location in which you would find a sworn enemy of the Christian faith, such as a well-known terrorist. Then, imagine that He told you to go there so that He can use you to heal this man’s blindness.

What do you think you would say? What would you do? I hope that I would fully trust God and obey Him in that moment, but I have to confess that I would be completely terrified and probably full of a million “what-ifs.” It would be tempting to be like Jonah and run away in the completely opposite direction.

Today’s passage tells the story of Ananias, a follower of Jesus Christ, who didn’t respond to the Lord’s calling like Jonah. Instead, Ananias’ simple obedience to the Lord profoundly changed one man’s life and consequently, the rest of the world. Ananias had a small part in a really big start.

When the Lord Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision, his response reminded me of the way the Old Testament saints responded to God’s voice: “Here I am, Lord.” That’s the way Abraham responded to God in Genesis 22:1, the way Jacob responded in Genesis 31:11, as well as Moses in Exodus 3:11, and Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:4-8).

But Acts 9:13-14 tells us that when Ananias heard what the Lord wanted him to do, he expressed his concern: “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 priest to bind all who call on your name.”

Acts 8:1-3 and Acts 9:1 confirm that Ananias had good reason to be afraid. Saul had approved of the execution of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Plus, he persecuted the church by hauling Christians off to prison with the approval of the Jewish religious authorities.

But the Lord explained that he had a really big purpose for Saul: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry out my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15-16). So, Ananias set aside his fear, and went to do what he was told.

When he arrived at the house Saul was in, he laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). At that moment, Saul’s eyesight was restored and, because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, he was never the same again. Saul (Paul) would go on to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. He went on three missionary journeys and wrote 13 letters found in the New Testament that still disciple and instruct believers to this day.

Now, you may be thinking that the role Ananias played in the conversion of Saul wasn’t such a small part after all and you’d be right! His decision to act in faith over fear and obey God in the unknown led to a chain of events that changed the world. And yet, Ananias’ story is often overshadowed by the rest of Saul’s story. In fact, if you asked many believers, they probably don’t even remember his name.

The same may be true of us. We may not ever know just how big of an impact our faithful obedience to the Lord will have. But, we know that we are called to faithfully follow Him because He has a really big plan for the redemption of His people. And we may just be privileged enough to play a small part in someone else’s really big start.

Respond

Here I am, Lord. I want to faithfully follow You so that You can use me to advance Your kingdom for Your glory. Give me the courage and faith to obey You, even when I’m afraid. Amen.

Reveal

No matter what reason you have for holding back, pray. Then, go and tell someone the Gospel today.