Acts Day 117 - Uncomfortable

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...