Lilac Ministries

Bible Study Lessons

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Scripture: Act 9:10-19

Topic: Acting in Faith
 

Have you ever made a decision in faith that ran counter to what common sense might suggest? That was our opening question in our study of the story of Ananias as he went to visit the dreaded Saul (soon to become the apostle Paul), persecutor of Christians. Some of our experiences included the following: deciding to enter and leave military service, choosing to do what is right because it is right, choosing to go back to work while young children remain at home, and leaving churches for moral or spiritual reasons.

In the Acts account, we read last week how Christ struck Saul blind to get his attention. This week, we see Christ directing Ananias to find Saul and lay hands on him. Ananias gives an almost amusing answer along the lines of “Um . . . God . . . I’ve heard about this guy . . . and none of it is good.” To which God kindly replies, “Yes, I know ALL about him . . . and I have a lot for him to do, much of it painful.”

Rarely do we receive such clear visions from God. (People who do are usually asked to perform some particularly difficult tasks.) Most of our decisions are made with the evidence we have at hand. Sometimes, we don’t have all the necessary facts or time available to us, and we need to make a faith decision. Sometimes the facts point one direction, but we feel God pointing us in another. It is in these times that we step forward in faith and prayer. Very often, God shows us later how He has used that decision to bless others through us.

Saul was chosen by God to fulfill a great evangelical purpose. While we may not be used by the Lord for such a great thing, let us recall that we are nevertheless chosen by God for His purposes (Col 3:12, I Peter 2:9). When we make our decisions in prayer and faith, they may not appear to be the ones that would logically bless us. However, God sees our faith decisions. When we make these decisions, we create a place for God to do things through us that might run contrary to common sense. It may be a long time before we see how God has used these decisions to bless us or others. In fact, that day may never come on this side of heaven. But one thing is sure: When we are living our lives with that frame of mind and spirit, we will experience the peace of God’s presence WITH us.