Would You Have Said Yes?

Acts 9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 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." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." (NRSV)

This is a powerful story with many miracles in it. For me, the greatest miracles is Paul saying Yes to God even when he knew what he was to suffer for the sake of Christ. Let's look at the miracles within this story. The first is that Saul, a very well-connected, influential young man, with his whole life before him in church politics is given permission to continue his crusade of imprisoning members of the Way (Christians). He is considered by believers as a very evil man, and rightly so. Many would say God can never use a man like that; his life has amounted to only arresting believers and seeing they are brought to "justice," a word used loosely, for he sought the death of believers like the one he witnesses at Stephen's murder. Yet, God chose him. And God changed him. Calling him by name, Saul is literally knocked off his high horse, and when he asks who it is that has done this the answer comes by, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." God gave him a second chance at life, to live it in the right way. Of course it came with a price at first; Saul is blinded by this light and has to be led by the hand to Damascus. And for three days Saul neither eats nor drinks anything. This was a time of prayer and fasting, for Saul had a lot to learn and many questions to be answered about his new life. And, as happens many times, in another house in another part of town, a believer is praying, and in this prayer time, God speaks to him and calls him by name to go and do something. Put yourself in this Ananias' place. You've heard that a wicked man named Saul is coming to your town to arrest you and those like you for being Christians. You pray for your safety and that of your family and you pray that if you die that you go to heaven. And you continue to pray for that is part of being a believer. You were taught to pray, you have been blessed by prayer and you know that is the best way to stay in touch with God. But on this particular day as you pray, God speaks to you, calls you by name and says, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas there's a man there named Saul who needs your help." Wait, Lord, um, I've heard about this guy; he doesn't need my help! He needs You to send a bolt of lightning to come and just zap him away! This is what I might have thought in this prayer time. But God had said, "He already knows your name and he knows that you are coming his way to lay hands on him to help him regain his sight." Yet, God in God's love and mercy says, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel." And the big miracle, "I myself will show him much he must suffer for the sake of my name." How many of us would have still said Yes?

I think most of us, but we would have thought long and hard about it. For pastors there's been meetings where you may have sat and heard the "discussion" and wondered, Why am I here? For lay persons, the same or worse, seeing or hearing things you believe have no place in the church and wondered Why am I here? The reason Paul said yes and so many of us have said yes is that we love God and we know that God loves us. In spite of the dangers and setbacks and push backs, we see the bigger picture of what God is trying to do in our midst and still we labor on. To say No to God is to admit defeat to the enemy of God and God's enemy does not need more allies. The conversion of Saul into Paul the evangelist was one of the greatest things that could have happened for the worldwide expansion of Christianity and his no might have meant God would have looked elsewhere. But God took the least likeliest person and transformed him into the person that boldly went and shared where others would not have dared. Paul experienced things that others would have run from, but Paul pressed forward, as should we.

Whatever God is asking you to do, you will never do alone. God will be with you. And in spite of what seems to be defeat, you will find that God will bring victory.

PRAYER: Loving God, let me life be a blessing to You and Yours. This I pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde