The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
August 22, 2008
Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in
a vision, calling, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord!" he
replied.
The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to
the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me
right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see
again."
"But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard about the terrible
things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear that he is
authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in Damascus."
But
the Lord said, "Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen
instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the
people of Israel. And I will show him how much he
must suffer for me."
So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands
on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road,
has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy
Spirit." Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained
his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and was
strengthened.
Acts 9:10-19
Yes, I know these are the same verses I used yesterday, but…it's kind of a continuation. One of the hardest things for me is following through on a difficult assignment the Lord gives me; especially if it's a personal message for someone else. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for Ananias to take a step of faith and talk to Saul about Jesus. Following a vision is a difficult assignment, especially when it's a little risky.
When God gives a vision, He doesn't always give specific orders as He did with Ananias; He simply says, "Go"! Yet, when He does give specifics, as He did with Ananias, it's best to do just that – "Go"! Can you imagine where we would be today had Ananias decided to stay home?
Although that spoke to me, I guess the thing that really got to me in this passage of scripture were these words, "…'And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.'" The Lord didn't say how much He would bless him or how prosperous He would make him. Nope, He wanted him to know how much he would suffer for Him. Well, you may not have heard those words, but you may have experienced the results and felt that somehow you just always seemed to come up a little short of the call in your life. Be encouraged. As James said, "Count it all joy." We will suffer for the cause of Christ if we are committed to the call.
If there ever was a person who lived though a time of "mocking" God it was Saul of Tarsus. He killed Christians in the name of God. Now, that is pretty serious mocking if you ask me. Yet, God had a plan for him. He was to become Paul, an Apostle, appointed and anointed by God to give the message of Good News to the Gentiles. Paul's calling was risky. He was to minister to the very group of people he had once persecuted so badly and he suffered in order to accomplish the call. He was committed. Most of us will never experience the hardships Paul endured. However, we may suffer the hardship of being misunderstood, but that's okay if we stick to His plan – His understanding is enough.
Father, I can't thank You enough for this message of encouragement. Thank You for the reminder that suffering is often a big part of completing the work You give us to do. I thank You for the rod of discipline that You stretch out to prod us back onto the road when we begin to get discouraged. Help us keep our eyes on You! Let the scales fall!
