There are many examples in the Bible of people having to make hard impactful decisions of obedience. God had asked them to do something that did not make sense to them or even put them in harm’s way. Then they had to come to a decision point of whether they would follow and trust God, or would they do what made sense to them in the moment.
Noah had to decide if he really heard from God to build an Ark when he had actually never seen rain before. Esther had to decide if she trusted God enough to approach a king that could kill her in order to save her people. Moses had to decide that he indeed was the right man for the job to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Even though he spent some time trying to talk God out of it.
Another such person who had to decide to obey God was Ananias. Ananias is maybe not as immediately well known in the Bible as Noah and Esther, but his decision of obedience had a great effect on the New Testament and Christianity. We find Ananias’ story woven in the story of Saul who later became Paul.
Jesus had been to the earth, died on the cross and ascended to heaven. He left behind His disciples with the mission of going into all the world and preaching the gospel spreading the message of what you have seen and done. The disciples did just that. They began teaching and preaching the message of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They preached the good news of the gospel! But just as some priests and pharisees had opposed Jesus, they also opposed the disciples. This gospel of good news challenged everything they believed and threatened their way of life. So just as Jesus had been persecuted, so the disciples were as well.
One such man that participated in the persecution was Paul then known as Saul. Saul was a very well educated man and in his earthly wisdom felt that what he was doing was just and righteous. He was helping rid the world of these people that believed in Jesus and not the Jewish law that had been taught and handed down and so carefully preserved. God’s law is important, but Jesus had come to set us free from the law and put us into the right relationship with God. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we will never have to be separated from God ever again. Saul, with all his education, could not see this. Instead he felt so strongly these Christians had to be stopped, he led the charge in arresting Christians and putting them in prison where they could be tortured and killed for their faith.
Saul was on his way to Damascus with permission from the high priest in Jerusalem to go and arrest the Christians he found there. They were to be brought to Jerusalem and put into prison. At this point Saul’s heart was filled with rage and murder, but in his deception he felt he was doing the right thing. You would think God would look on such a heart and want to smite him from the earth. Instead God saw a heart He could use. So on Saul’s way to Damascus he had a supernatural encounter with God. A brilliant light flashed. Saul was blinded, and then he heard a booming voice say “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul replied, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, the Victorious, the one you are persecuting.” Acts 9:7(The Passion Translation)
Most of us don’t experience this type of clarity. We feel Jesus move on us, and we say yes to Him. But God knew He had to burst through Saul’s mind and give him a clear and undeniable sign in order for Saul to decide to change his mind. Saul’s instructions were to go to Damascus and he would be told what to do.
At this point Saul is physically blind. God traded his spiritual blindness to physical blindness. So Saul had to trust the men that were with him to lead him to the correct place, and he had to also trust God.
Here is where Ananias enters the story. God speaks to Ananias in a vision and tells him about Saul. He tells Ananias that he wants him to go pray for Saul, so that the Lord can restore his vision. You have to wonder, if God had done all of this so far on his own, why did he feel he needed to include Ananias. I think there are a couple of reasons. One God always enjoys partnering with us. He can accomplish anything on this earth on His own. He is God. But He chooses to partner with us to bring about His purposes. It is our privilege to partner with Him. Second, I think God wanted a witness. For Saul to go out and tell this story on his own would be something, but to have Ananias be a witness to what had happened I think was important.
So Ananias has a decision to make. Does he trust God and go and pray for a man who was on his way to the city to possibly arrest him and his friends? Or does he ignore God or think this possibly can’t be God. This man, Saul, is getting what he deserves. Can you imagine how different the New Testament would be if Ananias had not made a decision to obey God? We know that Ananias does question God before he goes, but he indeed does go. We don’t know the thoughts he had on the way though. You can put yourself in his place. He could have had thoughts ranging of great faith to this is the stupidest thing I have ever done. I am going to pray for a man who is literally imprisoning and killing people such as me.
Ananias arrives at where Saul is staying and goes inside and lays hands on him. He tells Saul that God has sent him. The same God that appeared to him on the road and wants to restore his sight and fill him with the Holy Spirit. “Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.” Acts 9:18(NKJV) The scales falling from Saul’s eyes helped him receive his physical sight, but I believe are also symbolic of the spiritual blindness he was experiencing before his encounter on the road. The Lord had to remove the scales from his heart so that Saul could see clearly.
The story does not end there of course. Saul was so profoundly changed that he began teaching and preaching the gospel. However the Jewish priests were now mad at him, and the Christians did not trust him. God had to take him through a process of learning, where his name was changed as well as his heart and mind. Because of his radical conversion, the church prospered and much of the New Testament was written by Paul. He by no means led an easy life, but he led a life for God.
Ananias’s story is not really spoken of after this encounter with Saul. However Ananias’ decision to obey God that day is very significant. Saul would have been considered an enemy. Yet Ananias had to be determined to trust the Lord and act in faith regardless of what he knew about Saul. Ananias had no idea the impact of his decision that day, but he did choose to obey God.
I think we all have places in our life where the scales need to fall off, so that we can see clearly what God sees. There are probably people in our lives that we need help seeing them as God sees them. There are also circumstances and things happening that we need to see through God’s lens rather than our own. There are also decisions that need to be made to trust God even when what we think He is asking us to do does not make sense in our limited sight. Following God does require faith, but it is also very rewarding.
I encourage you to ask God where the places are in your life that you need help seeing the way He sees them. If there are places where you feel you have limited faith, ask God for grace to have more faith. He loves these types of prayer where you lean into His strength. Remember friend, God is always for you not against you. He loves you more than you can understand. He loves partnering with you to bring Heaven to Earth.
For more on the topic of decisions check out these posts by fellow writers.
What Is 1 Decision You Can Make Today? by Lori Shoaf https://www.dirttrailjunkies.org/inspiring-stories/what-is-1-decision-you-can-make-today
Trust God with Your Decision-Making by Lisa Granger https://lisamarcelina.net/trust-god-with-your-decision-making/
How to Make Big Decisions: The Invisible Weight of Motherhood by Ashley Olivine https://ashleyolivine.com/how-to-make-big-decisions/