9:17 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.” 18 Immediately
there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at
once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had
received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the
disciples at Damascus.
To simple but critical truths were brought to my attention
this morning. The first is that "Ananias went his way..." And what
way was that? He went straight to Saul the hunter of those following Jesus.
It's a subtle and simple point but absolutely imperative to understand. God never
forces us to do anything. He gave Ananias an assignment but carrying it out was
entirely his choice. When Ananias went to meet Saul it was his choice. He went
his way...
People often wonder why the world is in such a mess if God is
so good and loving and all powerful. The reason is simple. God gives us
instructions and then we are free to "go our way". It started with
the instruction to avoid one tree and then Eve ignored the instructions. She
was free to do so because love never ever forces. The world being a mess has
nothing to do with God and everything to do with our choices.
The second point is beautiful to me. God wants us to have a
part in what He is doing to rescue us from ourselves. He didn't need Ananias to
be involved. He could have continued working with Saul. The truth is that God's
direct involvement in Saul's life with the bright light and the voice from
heaven is an exception to the rule. He had to intervene because there was no
human on earth Saul would have listened to. Saul needed an "intervention".
However as soon as God had Saul's attention He reverted back to His preferred
plan. He connected Saul with the body of Christ. Do you remember back in Eden
after God had created Adam and before sin was a problem God said "it is not
good for man to be alone"? We were designed for community, for
companionship, for team work. New born babies can be given proper nutrition and
will still die without human touch. God’s number one way to work with us is
through us. He sends people to help people. Divine intervention either through
angels or through God Himself is an exception used only when absolutely
necessary. He wants us to have a part in His plans. He wants us to feel the
thrill of helping people and seeing miracles happen. He wants us to have personal
connections and the human touch. We can't hug God yet but He can send someone
to give us a hug or send us to hug someone else.
His way is to involve us in the great work of restoring His
image in us. The more I contemplate that simple idea the more incredible it is.
What a patient and loving Father!
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