Devotions from The Dock - Day 5: Ananias

In the last four posts, we have been studying some lesser-known, or at least less talked about individuals from the Bible. All of them have played an important role in the broader story that is HIS-story. Our final character though, Ananias, exhibits perhaps the best example of what it means to live unfiltered for God. That is, when we hear God prompt us to do something (however that may work for you), we do it.

We all know the story of Paul. How he was originally known as Saul and made quite a name for himself by persecuting (and worse) any and all Christians that he came across. We also know of his “conversion experience” as he was on the road to Damascus one day. Scripture records it like this: 

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. 

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, ”he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. (Acts 9:3-9 NIV)

The very next verse introduces us to Ananias. As you read the following passage, think about how you would react if God asked you to do what He asked Ananias to do.

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 holy people 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 proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. (Acts 9:10-19 NIV)

Now, how would you have reacted if you were in Ananias’s shoes? Would you have been obedient? Would you have put up a stronger fight than the brief, “are you sure about this God?” kind of response that he had? Would you have even done it?

There are four big questions and takeaways from this that we talked about that morning that I’d like to share here:

1 – Do we hear from God as well as Ananias did? Can we? Are we even capable of it? That is, does God still speak to His children (that would be us) the same way today? OK, so this is really two questions. To the second part, though, the answer would be a hearty YES! We are all capable of hearing His voice in different ways. For many, it is that “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit prompting us, that we understand as God’s voice and direction.

The first part however, concerning how well we do it, is a much more personal question. I believe this takes practice, prayer and a whole lot of faith. It’s easy to allow the world to create so much noise around us that we can hear nothing else. We must fight against this. You have to be intentional about it. The purpose of the Living Unfiltered for God Blog is in large part about helping you do just that.

2 – Ananias questioned God, (not unlike Moses did 1500 years earlier), about whether what he was being asked to do really made sense. Is it appropriate to do that? Is God OK with us “talking back” like that? Well, I sure hope the answer to that question is yes because I know we all do it! And I really believe it is yes. What happens when we ask those kinds of questions of God? First, and selfishly (whether we realize it as that or not), it buys us a little time to process that which has been asked of us. Second, it lets God know that we heard Him and that we are in good enough relationship with Him that we can communicate with Him in this manner. And third, it gives God the opportunity to give us some more information. He will sometimes provide a little of His logic for why we are being asked to do what we are. Of course, there are no guarantees on this part. Sometimes His response is just, “trust Me.”

3 – Once Ananias went along with it and did what God wanted, what happened? Where did his obedience lead? This is an easy one! What happened in this case? Exactly what God said would happen! Just like Ananias’s obedience – our obedience will always lead to the result that God desires and to what He knows to be best for us. Is it always easy? Absolutely not! But when we keep our focus on the bigger picture and take it off whatever discomfort we may feel the obedience may lead to, we realize that God would never lead us astray. His ways may not be our ways, but they are always greater than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

4 – Who was Ananias, anyway? Some super-hero of the faith? No, not at all. In fact, this is the only time he is mentioned in all of Scripture. (Hence, his inclusion in this study of “little-known” spiritual characters.) As far as we know, he was “just a guy”. No one special. Just someone that God decided to ask to help with something of incredible importance. Something that would change history. What does that mean for you and I? It means that, even if we don’t think we are, “anyone special”, God can – and will – work with and through us to do incredible things, even “more than we could ever ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Now, a brief personal note… If you’ve been following along, these recent posts have been inspired by my early morning devotion and communion times with the (mostly) teenagers at Florida Family CFO camp this past summer. I honestly don’t know what encouraged me more that week, the words we studied in scripture or the kids themselves. They are a very special group. I’m glad I was able to record our discussions like this, as it provides a sort of digital record of what we shared. I hope that as time goes by, we can all look back at these posts and be reminded of the sweet presence of God that we experienced those early mornings together on the dock.

So, to Brice, Brianna, Sarah Grace, Katelyn, Nick, Emi, Caylie, Kristina, Haley, Riley, Autumn, Rachel, Andrew, Addi, Blake and Schyler… Thank you. I love you all and can’t wait to see all of the amazing things that God is going to do in and through all of your lives!

This will forever be my prayer for you…