Ananias: God's Counselor

Reading Acts 9:10ff today. One of my favorites. Paul has been struck blind and carted off for a time of prayer and fasting. Today we read that the Lord appears to Ananias in a vision. He is told that Saul has received a vision that Ananias will come to lay hands on him to restore his sight. Ananias says:

• "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he  has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name."

Now I have never had a vision. I have never heard a voice. God has never provided me with any theophany (Big Time God Manifestation). I am not sure what I would do if one  happened. I just find myself thinking, "Ananias, Almighty God deigns to appear to you, to speak to you, to set you apart to do a healing miracle; and the first thing that pops in your mind is to give God some counsel on why this is a bad idea? Really? You are going to tell the All-knowing Creator, 'bad idea, word on the street is that this Saul is dangerous.' ?"

And yet, aren't I (and you) frequently in the advice chair when we sit talking to God. Don't we generally approach God with a 'to-do' list? How often have we questioned the wisdom of God? How often do we point out that if we were in charge we would do things differently?

Obeidience, more than love, is the key response to God. Loving God is easy. He is perfect beauty and goodness. Anything which we delight in is a dim reflection of His being. Everything which attracts us is repulsive in comparision to His attractiveness.

But obedience, that is a tall challenge. Obedience is submission, it requires that we relinquish control. It takes not just love but also trust. I can love someone and not trust them. I can love someone and not obey them. I can love someone and not listen to them. That is the problem. And it seems Ananias, to some extent, had the same problem.

The good news, even if we find ourselves uncontrollably driven to contradict God and correct Him, we can still obey.

God tells Ananias: I chose Saul for a job, proclaiming the Gospel to Gentiles, kings and Jews. I will let him know how much he will suffer for My Name.
So Ananias stopped giving advice and did what he was told to do. That was a good idea, and now he is eternally connected to the most significant evangelist apostle in the Church. That is an honor.

I could do another long reflection of Saul's destiny, suffering, but enough to say, however much we dislike it, complain about it and question God's goodness and wisdom when we do it---Suffering is part of the deal. Facing the pain with courage and trust is worth much more than all the advice we can ever give God. Suffering faithfully is the best expression of obedience, and probably the truest gift of love.