Helping Others in Response to God’s Call

We all know there are people God brings into our lives we would rather not help. There may even be occasions when helping them means taking risks. Risks that may seem pretty dangerous to us at times.

One such occasion occurred in the early church when God called Ananias to help a violent persecutor of the church, a man by the name of Saul of Tarsus. What can we learn from God’s use of Ananias in helping the church’s great enemy? Here are some lessons from the Wiersbe Study Bible on Acts 9:10–19.

The Value of an Obscure Saint

Acts 9:10–19 records that God called Ananias out of obscurity to put a human face and touch to God’s acceptance of Saul the rebel. God used Ananias in the transformation of Saul into a powerful voice for the gospel. Ananias’s experience offers us some significant reminders.

God can use even the most obscure saint.

Were it not for the conversion of Saul (read about this in Acts 9:1–9), we would never have heard of Ananias, and yet Ananias had an important part to play in the ongoing work of the church. Behind many well-known servants of God are lesser-known believers who have influenced them. God keeps the books and will see to it that each servant will get a just reward. The important thing is not fame but faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:1–5).

We should never be afraid to obey God’s will.

Ananias’s experience reminds us that obedience is always the right response to God’s call. At first Ananias argued with the Lord and gave some good reasons why he should not visit Saul. But God had everything under control, and Ananias obeyed by faith. When God commands, we must remember that He is working at both ends of the line and that His perfect will is always the best.

God’s works are always balanced.

God balanced a great public miracle with a quiet meeting in the house of Judas. The bright light and the voice from heaven were dramatic events, but the visit of Ananias was somewhat ordinary. The hand of God pushed Saul from his high horse, but God used the hand of a man to bring Saul what he most needed. God spoke from heaven, but He also spoke through an obedient disciple who gave the message to Saul. The ordinary events were just as much a part of the miracle as were the extraordinary.

We must never underestimate the value of one person brought to Christ.

Peter was ministering to thousands in Jerusalem, and Philip had seen a great harvest among the Samaritan people, but Ananias was sent to only one man. Yet what a man! Saul of Tarsus became Paul the apostle, and his life and ministry have influenced people and nations ever since. Even secular historians confess that Paul is one of the significant figures in world history.

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Leave a comment below: Can you think of a time when you obeyed God however reluctantly at first? How has God called you to help others, even putting yourself at risk or in danger?