12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:12–16)
The Apostle Paul continued his testimony to the Jews, and the Romans, in the city of Jerusalem following, respectively, his beating and arrest. He recalled how a Christian brother named Ananias came and ministered to him in the city of Damascus following Paul’s encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road.
Paul described Ananias as a devout man according to the Mosaic Law of God. He was well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus. It as Ananias who said to Paul, “‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.” It was at the precise moment that Paul received his sight.
Paul also recalled that Ananias said to him, “The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”
Throughout Ananias’ speech, the sovereignty of God is predominant. It was the Jew’s One, True God who had chosen Paul to be His chosen instrument. It was the Jew’s One, True God who had chosen Paul to do the Lord’s will. What was the will of God for Paul?
Dr. Simon Kistemaker writes, “On the basis of seeing and hearing Jesus, Paul became an apostle. When he saw Jesus and heard His voice, he understood the will of God. For Paul then, proclaiming the resurrected Jesus to all men everywhere became equivalent of Doing God’s will.”
God chose Paul for a great mission (Acts 9:15). However, God also choses believers in Christ today to fulfill His purpose in their lives. It may not be exactly the same as Paul’s mission, but it is no less important. Let each of us resolve to obey the tasks the Lord has set out for each of us, whether it be great or small.
Soli deo Gloria!
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