Acts 9 starts with telling us that Saul is still breathing threats and murder of anyone who was following the Way. Basically if you were a follower of Jesus, Saul was against you in the strongest opposition ever.
Then God did a miracle and He intervened.
“As he was traveling, it happened that he [Saul] was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” Acts 9:3-5
God gives us free will but we see that in very special instances He intervenes. Yet He still honors our choice in the matter.
“But get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;” Acts 9:6-18
Jesus did this mighty miracle through a scared man, Ananias.
Ananias didn’t allow his fear of death by Saul’s hand to get in the way of what God was asking him to do.
Jesus could have just removed the scales from Saul’s eyes as easily as they came. But He chose to send Ananias. He had a purpose - a mighty purpose for Saul’s life and it came to be because Ananias pushed past his fear and obeyed what the Lord had shown him.
How many of us have friends and family we view as being “too far gone” like in the way Ananias viewed Saul? Could God be calling you to be Ananias to your Saul? To push past the fear you feel to be bold and minister to them? To pray for their healing? Their deliverance? Their salvation? To pray boldly that God would open their eyes? Spiritually? That He would heal them physically?
This is our sign that God does mighty miracles then and now.
He does them with us and through us. It’s His delight. His will is for a future and a hope. Peace and not destruction. Healing and life, not disease and death. The wages of sin are still the same.
This is why He died for us - but He says “go and sin no more.” He doesn’t want us bound to sin and all the consequences of sin. He paid the ultimate price for our freedom and healing.
Jesus is worth the risk of stepping out in faith.
He is absolutely worth stepping into the miracle we’ve been contending for that seems impossible.
~ Amanda Santistevan