10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias."
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
—Acts 9:10 (NKJV)
Have you ever wondered whether God could really use you?
Sometimes we look at people who seem unusually gifted, talented, educated, or influential and assume those are the people God uses for His most important work.
But Scripture tells a different story. Throughout the Bible, God has a remarkable way of choosing ordinary people for extraordinary assignments. Sometimes we know their names. Sometimes we hardly notice them at all.
One of those people was a man named Ananias. We meet him in Acts 9, immediately following the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Saul had left Jerusalem “breathing threats and murder” against the followers of Jesus. He was headed toward Damascus with authority to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem. But before Saul could arrest anyone, Jesus arrested him. A light flashed from heaven. Saul fell to the ground. He heard the voice of Jesus. And the man who had entered the story threatening Christians entered Damascus blind, humbled, fasting, and praying.
Then Luke shifts our attention away from Saul for a moment and introduces someone else:
“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias” (Acts 9:10). A certain disciple. That's all Luke tells us. Ananias was not an apostle. He was not introduced as a preacher, evangelist, scholar, or prominent church leader. As far as we know, he was simply an ordinary follower of Jesus living in Damascus. But God knew his name. And God had an extraordinary assignment for him.
I. Be AVAILABLE to God
The Lord speaks: “Ananias.” And Ananias answers: “Here I am, Lord.”
I love that response.
Before Ananias knows what God is going to ask him to do, he makes himself available to the One who is asking. Then comes the assignment. “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus” (Acts 9:11). Saul?
Surely Ananias knew the name. Everyone in the Christian community probably knew why Saul had come to Damascus. But God tells Ananias something he could not possibly have known: “Behold, he is praying.”
What a change! Saul is no longer preying on Christians. Saul is praying to Christ. While God is speaking to Ananias, He is already working in Saul. God is working at both ends of the assignment.
There is a wonderful lesson here for us. We do not always know what God is doing. We do not have to. Sometimes our first responsibility is simply to say: “Here I am, Lord.”
II. Be OBEDIENT to God
Ananias was available. But now his availability would be tested. He tells the Lord what he knows about Saul: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem” (Acts 9:13).
I appreciate the honesty of Scripture. Ananias had good reason to be concerned. Saul had come to Damascus looking for people exactly like him. But God knew something Ananias did not know. The Lord said: “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine” (Acts 9:15). Ananias knew Saul by his reputation. God knew Saul by His redemptive purpose. Ananias could see Saul's past. God could see what Saul would become.
Then comes one of my favorite sentences in the story: “And Ananias went his way.” He obeyed. Faithfulness does not mean we understand everything God is doing. Sometimes it simply means trusting God enough to take the next step when He says, “Go.”
III. Be FAITHFUL to God
Ananias enters the house. Think about this for a moment. Somewhere inside is the man who had intended to arrest him and other followers of Jesus. Ananias walks toward Saul, places his hands upon him, and speaks two remarkable words: “Brother Saul.”
What grace! Saul came to Damascus looking for enemies. Instead, he found a brother. Ananias lays his hands on Saul. Saul receives his sight. He is filled with the Holy Spirit. He is baptized. Soon he is eating, regaining his strength, and spending time with the very disciples he had come to Damascus to arrest.
And Ananias? He quietly disappears from the story. But think about what he could not see. Ananias did not know about Paul's future missionary journeys. He did not know about churches in Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, and Thessalonica. He could not imagine the New Testament letters that generations of Christians would one day read, study, preach, teach, and cherish.
He knew only that Jesus had told him to go. So he went. And God took care of everything else.
An Ordinary Person. An Extraordinary Assignment.
Perhaps that is what I love most about Ananias.
He was simply “a certain disciple.” Yet God knew his name, knew where to find him, and chose to use his obedience as part of something much larger than Ananias could possibly understand. The same is true for you and me.
God may never ask us to minister to the future Apostle Paul. But He will place people before us. He will give us opportunities to serve, encourage, teach, forgive, give, witness, pray, and obey.
Some of those assignments may seem very ordinary. Do not underestimate them. You may never know what God will accomplish through one simple act of obedience.
So when God calls your name, remember Ananias: Be available; Be obedient; and,
Be faithful. And leave the results to God. You may never know what God will accomplish through one simple act of obedience. You do not have to. When He calls, simply answer as Ananias did: “Here I am, Lord.”
