“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias,’ and he said, ‘Here am I Lord.’ So the Lord said to him ‘Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.’…And Ananias went his way and entered the house: and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.” –Acts 9:10-12; 17-18. (NKJV. Read Acts 9:10-19).
Ananias was a disciple of Christ in Damascus. The Bible is silent on how he became a believer. But his devoutness and ability to hear and obey the Lord played an important part in Saul’s early Christian experience. God was working on both Saul and Ananias to accomplish His purposes.
When the Lord first spoke to Ananias, choosing him for the special task of ministering to Saul of Tarsus, the known persecutor of the believers, Ananias was afraid. In response to the Lord’s command to go to Ananias, this disciple said to the Lord: “ I have heard about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’” (Acts 9:13-14). Ananias had reason to be afraid, to question the Lord’s intention in sending him to Saul. Would this disciple, too, not be cast into prison?
The Lord revealed to Ananias his further purpose in going to Saul: “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15-16).
In being obedient to the voice of the Lord, Ananias had a very important role in assisting Saul to know that what had happened to him on the road to Damascus was really of the Lord. With the simple acts of going to Saul and laying his hands on him, Ananias became confirmer and friend. Ananias may have been the one to baptize Saul (Acts 9:18). Whether Ananias was the one who baptized Saul, he certainly was witness to this important rite of Saul’s identification with the believers. We learn valuable lessons from Ananias. He listened when the Lord revealed His plan to him. He was obedient, even though he had some fear of the outcome. Trust in the Lord was evident in his going to Saul and ministering to him at the point of his need. Ananias means, “The Lord has dealt graciously.” His life, actions and obedience were testimony to his name.
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, April 18, 2010
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