Have you ever prayed “Lord what do you want me to do in this particular situation I am facing…or during this hard season of my life?” I think we have all been there! Maybe you are asking those questions right now. Unfortunately, many times we ask God the question, but we then quickly stick our fingers in our ears, turn up the radio, and hope we don’t really hear His answer. He may ask us to do something hard, out of our comfort zone, time consuming. Acts 9:1-18 tells of God asking someone to do something he would rather not do.
This is a section about a guy named Saul who hated the followers of Jesus, was going to Damascus to cause evil to them, throw them in prison, have them killed. God thought this would be a good time to get Saul’s attention. You can read about it in Acts 9 starting in verse 1.
But….I want to talk about another guy who God used to reach Saul…in a way that made no sense and was very scary to a guy named Ananias! He is one of my bible heroes!
Acts 9:10-15… In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
Now… Those directions seem simple enough, but, talk about the uncertainty of that request and the fear of following God’s plan. Think about it…Go help that guy, who by the way, came with a plan and the authority to throw you into prison or have you killed. But, we see that in spite of the uncertain outward circumstances for Ananias and Saul…. God was in control, accomplishing his plan of restoration in the life of Saul. We see that Ananias followed God’s nudge, stepped out in faith (read Acts 9:17-19), and God blessed all of our lives as Saul became Paul who wrote many New Testament books about God’s love for us to study in the Bible.
God used Ananias to change the biggest opponent of Christianity, Saul, into the greatest evangelists, Paul…. Whose godly inspired words we read in the Bible…. Words that inspire us to face the uncertainties of our life.
So how about you?
When situations seem tough…God is nudging you and yet you’re facing uncertainty what do you do? Do you join the FUD CLUB…the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt club? Have you ever felt God calling you to do something…Or to go somewhere…And you say ”you got to be kidding me God.” “You want me to do what?”
When you are filled with uncertainty and fear do you question God’s plans for your life? We have all had to choose our next step…to either follow God or ignore Him! We have all come to that proverbial “Y” in the road… and had to choose which way to go.
DR SEUSS’ gives us some wisdom about trying to go our way and God’s way at the same time. Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad? Who came to a sign at the fork of the road? He looked one way and the other way too. The Zoad had to make up his mind what to do – Well, the Zoad scratched his head, And his chin, and his pants. – And he said to himself, “I’ll be taking a chance. If I go to Place One, that place may be hot. So how will I know if I like it or not. On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool. If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool. In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue. So Place One may be best and not Place Two. Play safe,” cried the Zoad, “I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce. I’ll simply start off to both places at once.” And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance. Went no place at all with a split in his pants.
Well… I have to admit… that I have split my pants a time or two not able to make the decision to trust God and move forward. I had to choose to follow God’s nudge 30 years ago, to quit my job, take a lower pay, become a youth and sports minister at Royal Redeemer. It was scary, seemed foolish, had no idea what it would look like. I took His lead…followed God’s nudge and He blessed my ministry.
So…how about you? What is God whispering in your ear?
- About your finances, relationships, health, spiritual journey.
- What is He saying about this coronavirus situation and how it is impacting you.
- If you are struggling with loneliness, health issues, or financial uncertainty…is He nudging you to make some changes, to trust Him in the storm, to reach out to the church for help, to connect with Him in prayer and bible study?
- Or perhaps He is saying “I have blessed you to be a blessing to others”. Does He want you to reach out with a phone call to someone to give them hope…or to help with a financial issue…or donate food or masks…or toilet paper. Is God calling you check in on your neighbors…or participate in the upcoming Servant Saturday weekend?
- Is He saying take your fingers out of your ears so you can hear me. Is He calling you to be a modern day Ananias and lead someone to the loving arms of the Lord. This pandemic is a great time to point people to the loving arms of our Lord and Savior!
Pastor Dave
Call me if I can help 440-237-7958 ext.118