The Essential Question (Part 4): The Good News Changes Lives预览

I Want You!

Prepare: Have you ever sensed God nudging you to do something that seemed odd, embarrassing, or even a little risky? How did you respond, and what was the result?

Read: Acts 9:10-19a

Reflect: Do you remember those old US Army recruiting posters where a determined Uncle Sam is pointing straight ahead and saying, "I want you!"? Ananias must have felt singled out after awakening from his vision-only the one doing the pointing was God, and the poster had his name on it: "Ananias!" (9:10).

How does God call people today? Sometimes it can be the result of a dramatic experience like Ananias had. But other times it can come from reading Scripture, praying or receiving wise counsel from other Christians, all of which are ways we can hear the "still small voice" of God's guidance (1 Kings 19:12 KJV).

But regardless of how the call comes, the most important thing is how we respond. Ananias's simple "Yes, Lord" (Acts 9:10) is a model for us today. It echoes Samuel's response many centuries earlier, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:9, 10). When we sense God leading, our first response should be that of a good soldier, "Yes, sir! Reporting for duty, sir!"

That's not to say we'll always understand everything God has in mind. In fact, in spite of his initial response, Ananias was clearly nervous about what God had asked him to do (Acts 9:13-14); perhaps he even had some reluctance to reach out to an archenemy of the church. Do you ever feel afraid or reluctant to reach out to people in your world? Or maybe Ananias thought Saul's conversion was a trick. Are you sure you know what you're doing, God?

I sense some impatience in God's response: "Go!" (9:15). There's a time for questions, but there's also a time to get moving (see Exodus 14:15). When waiting on the Lord becomes delaying on the Lord, there's a problem. God had a mission for Ananias. It wasn't to change the world; it was to reach out to one person, and that was a vital part of God's plan. Imagine how different the church and the world would be today if Ananias had refused to reach out to Saul. If we want to make a difference for God, we must trust that he has a plan, even when we don't understand it, and even when it's different from our own.

Where was Saul during this dialogue between Ananias and God? He was fasting and praying (9:9, 11). God had rocked Saul's world, and he needed time to rethink his assumptions and direction in life. Have you ever had that kind of life-changing experience? Our passage doesn't make a big deal of it, but it's significant that Saul was baptized (9:18); the former destroyer of the church was now publicly identified as one of them. What we learn from Ananias and Saul is that God can do incredible things through people who are willing to say, "Yes, sir" when he calls.

Apply: Over the past year, has there been something you've sensed God wants you to do, big or small? What would it mean for you to say, "Yes, sir!" to that leading? Record your response in the Essential Question Journal.