The Call that is from God

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, 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 evil he has done 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 carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus (Acts 9:10-19).

With the words… “Now there was a disciple” our hearts should stir with anticipation of a revelation of truth, because we too are disciples. The Lord had a very special mission for this particular disciple named Ananias. He was to approach Saul, a sworn enemy of the young church, touch him in the healing name of Jesus, whom Saul hated with a passion, and commission him to a new life of preaching and suffering for the name of Christ that he so despised. Ananias was being called to be an instrument of God’s transforming grace in the life of a very well-known sinner, and if we follow closely, we will discover here three truths about how to answer the call that is from God.

God calls those who recognize His voice. Ananias’ response to the Lord when He called his name shows us that he recognized that the source of this voice was his Lord… “Here I am, Lord”. We are not told if this was the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit talking, but the voices are all the same. Years of studying God’s Word, days of listening to Jesus’ teaching, and hours of praying in the Spirit had produced a familiarity with the voice of God in Ananias’ heart. The same is true for any disciple. Because we are born again, we love spending time in God’s Word, listening to the teaching of Jesus, and praying in the Spirit, and these spiritual disciplines help us recognize the voice of the Lord… “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Growing disciples anticipate and recognize the call that is from God.

God calls those who question His voice. Ananias had some justifiable doubts about this call. He did not hide them, but he shared them openly with the Lord. We are reminded of Mary’s response to Gabriel when He appeared with news that she would soon give birth to God’s Son… “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” (Luke 1:34). God is not offended by our genuine questions. In fact, He loves answering us and helping us to know Him and His divine plans better… “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3) and “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). God has an answer for every question that comes from the heart of an inquiring disciple.

God calls those who obey His voice. Ananias immediately went to Saul and obeyed every detail of the Lord’s instructions. There is still much holy work to be done today, and the Lord is still seeking growing disciples who listen to and obey His voice. Jesus taught that those who hear and keep (observe, preserve, obey) God’s Word will be blessed… “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28). Maturing disciples that are eager to study and obey God’s Word will surely hear His voice calling us to opportunities to apply it every day.

As we grow up into Christ, we become more familiar with His voice and we are eager to answer…

The Call that is from God.