City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” –Acts 9:13-16 ESV

Read Acts 9:1-19 for more context. 

Aisha’s Analysis

The conversion story of Saul (also known as Paul) is one of the Bible’s starkest examples of God’s grace and mercy toward sinful humanity as well as the transformative power of the Gospel in one’s heart and life.

What I really like about Paul, even before he came to faith in Christ, is his passion and persistence to fight for what he believed in. I believe it is this quality that drew the Lord to Saul as His chosen instrument to carry the Lord’s name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15).

This must have been a hard pill to swallow for Ananias and the local followers of the Way whom Saul was heavily persecuting and seeking to bind and bring to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2). They likely saw Saul as a threat to their safety and someone to avoid if at all possible. And in today’s text, God instructed Ananias to meet Paul at a specific location and to pray for healing for Paul’s eyes, which were temporarily blinded upon encountering Jesus. 

Thankfully, Ananias obeyed God, and Paul was grafted into the community of faith in Damascus. Now, Paul’s passion and persistence became directed towards spreading the Gospel instead of trying to contain it. He went from binding believers to being bound up in God’s unfailing love. 

This shows us that a personal relationship with Jesus changes everything. It also shows us that God can redirect broken, misguided people to advance His Kingdom purposes. He can unveil the mysteries of Christ to someone who was blinded in more ways than one. No matter what your life choices were before, a choice to follow Jesus grants you access to God’s grace and truth. 

Application

While Saul was on a rampage to bind up followers of the Way, God had something quite different in mind for him. The above scripture reveals God’s heart towards Saul–Saul was handpicked by God as His “chosen instrument” for a specific purpose. 

Take a moment to suspend any judgment about what your life looks like right now and seek God’s heart. What is He trying to communicate to you about His will for you? It could be far different from what you previously thought. Allow the transformative truth of the Gospel to redirect your heart and steps in the direction God is calling you. Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to reveal Jesus to you in a personal way. 

Prayer

Dear God, I am so incredibly thankful that You unblinded my eyes, bringing me out of darkness and into the Kingdom of Your beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, according to Colossians 1:13. Thank You for setting a course for my life. I want to listen to Your voice and follow it. In Jesus’ name, amen.