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.
No one likes to be uncomfortable. No one likes to be in an
awkward situation or an unpleasant one.
So far we have looked at this bizarre situation from two
angles. We have Saul who was so blind and so sure he was right in persecuting
the "Jesus followers" that God had to intervene personally to get his
attention. The encounter left his eyes closed but his mind open.
Secondly we have Ananias, a seemingly humble follower who we
are meeting for the first time. He is aware Saul is headed for his town looking
to arrest any believers he can find and perhaps kill them. How would you feel
in his shoes? Then God asks him to meet with Saul. Not just meet with him but
heal his blindness. Talk about an uncomfortable and awkward situation.
Frightening and incomprehensible are also words that come to mind. However
Ananias knows His voice and humbly obeys.
Now I want us to consider a third angle to this encounter
between the hunter and the hunted. The Bible says after the healing Saul spent
several days with the disciples (followers of Jesus) at Damascus. These others
never saw the bright light on the Damascus road or heard God speak to Saul.
These others never heard God speak to Ananias either. By faith they had to
trust Ananias. What an open opportunity for distrust and division! How awkward
and uncomfortable must it have been for Ananias to explain that the hunter was
coming to join the hunted! Talk about possible tension! Talk about reasons to
fear and turn on each other.
Clearly the trust they had in God had also lead to a deep
trust in each other.
Trust. Isn't that what was missing in Eden when Eve believed
the serpent? Isn't that what is missing in too many hearts and homes today?
Trust can be uncomfortable, awkward, even terrifying but no
restoration of relationships broken can occur without it. It seems with the
gift of His Spirit came the gift of trusting even in impossible situations. Boy
do we need His Spirit now...
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