There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision,“Ananias.” “Here I am, Lord,” he replied. “Get up and go to the street called Straight.” (Acts 9:10-11)
When you began to explore the idea about following Jesus, what was it that caught your attention? One of my favorite words from Jesus is found in Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus invites us to draw near to him to find rest for our weary souls. But I often forget that the purpose for this “rest” that Jesus gives us is not so we can just lie down on green pastures all day to get fat and juicy like the cows in Kobe, Japan. But the intention of Jesus’ rest is to continually satisfy us, so we can have the strength to fulfill the often difficult calling he has for each of us.
We learn about this with the new disciple we meet named Ananias. Ananias is so excited to hear Jesus’ voice call to him by name! Ananias was probably ready for Jesus’ next words to invite him to those peaceful streams and green meadows. Elevated by this, Ananias responds to Jesus’ call “Here I am, Lord!” (9:10) but to his surprise, Ananias’ cup was overflowing for this exact moment. So he would have the right heart and strength to obey Jesus’ command to meet the man who was throwing Christians in prison. Now of course, Ananias is not much different from us, as he loves his comfort too, so he basically tells the resurrected Christ “You can’t be serious” (9:13). He gives Jesus all the details and risks involved, as if he didn’t already know. Jesus interrupts Ananias and commands Ananias to “Go!” (9:15) and guess what happens next? Ananias obeys.
Initially, Ananias wrestled with Jesus’ command, and the amazing thing was that Jesus didn’t give up on him or even look for another disciple, but he reassured Ananias that he knew what he was doing. Ananias trusted his Lord and carried out Jesus’ instructions. Ananias experienced the rest that Jesus provides, as it led him to realize that Jesus himself is worth the cost of even his own life. So what is Jesus calling you to do that you might be wrestling with? If you can’t think of something, then that probably means you need to spend time in prayer, because Jesus is ALWAYS calling us to do something. The secret to an obedient life is to have a close life with Jesus. And when you do, you will find that Jesus is worth more than anything you could ever dream of.