Ananias (not Sapphira’s husband, but the other Ananias) is an obscure figure in the New Testament. He appears only twice, for a total of eight verses. Yet Ananias is much more than the answer to a Bible trivia question. The Lord used this ordinary man to change the world in unfathomable ways. His story teaches us to listen for God’s call, discern our next assignment, and discover the astounding impact that obedience can have.

So what did Ananias hear God say? “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (Acts 9:11b-12 ESV). The obedience that the Lord asks of us is often counterintuitive. It is rarely easy, but it ends up being one thread in the glorious tapestry He is weaving. We may or may not get to glimpse the finished project, but if God is calling you, then the role you play in God’s plan will be important.

Yet not every thought and idea is from the Lord. So how will you know? Ananias had to discern his call. To discern means to perceive, recognize, or distinguish. Although filled with fear and apprehension, Ananias sought clarity regarding God’s will. Discernment is faith seeking understanding; not stalling indefinitely but listening for further direction and confirmation. So, Ananias asks, “Ugh, Lord, isn’t Saul dangerous?” And the Lord revealed His plan: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  (Acts 9:15b-16 ESV).

That sounds consistent with the witness of the Scriptures, which is another aspect of discernment. Beginning with Abraham, God gave His name to Israel in order to bless the nations of the world. And Jesus himself not only suffered for the sake of God’s mission, but declared, ^“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple ” (Luke 14:27). Biblically, to bless others and to suffer for the gospel are part of every disciple’s calling.

God is always calling you to join him in his work. To discern a particular course of action, then, means asking certain questions. Does it take me out of my comfort zone? Does it require sacrifice? Is it consistent with Scripture? Does it sound like Jesus? If the answers are “yes,” then it’s likely from the Lord.

But there’s one more question. What do other believers think about it? Ananias stepped out in faith and discovered that Saul was indeed at the home of Christian disciples who had taken him in and cared for his needs. With this confirmation, Ananias laid his trembling hands upon Saul, who had been blinded days earlier when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus.

In that moment, God used Ananias to heal Saul, who regained his sight and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Presumably, it was also Ananias who then had the privilege of baptizing the man who would go on to write two thirds of the New Testament! And Saul, who discerned his call to preach the Gospel, became Paul, the chief apostle and church planter for the non-Jewish world!

Although it was God who called Saul, He used Ananias to be part of it. After this brief episode in Acts, we never hear from Ananias again in the Bible. But where would we be without him? Where would Saul be without Ananias? Where would the Church be without Paul? Clearly, not everyone can be Paul. But everyone can absolutely be Ananias, who learned to discern, and who helped a brother do the same.

If this passage seems detached from present day reality, let me assure you that, in recently discerning my own call to the North American Lutheran Seminary, God used a number of “Ananias’s” to remove scales  from my eyes when I was blind to God’s plan, and how it fit perfectly with my gifts and passions.  Part of my role now is to daily be an Ananias for others who are discerning a call to ordained ministry.  

Recently, I spoke with a mid-career disciple named John, who had been praying about pursuing theological education. He told me how God used a stranger to confirm that this was indeed the Lord’s plan. John was traveling and when he arrived at the airport, he presented his boarding pass to the airline attendant, who repeated John’s full name and exclaimed, “With a name like that, you ought to be a pastor!” As I write this, John is completing his seminary application.

The fact is that God can and will use you as he used the people in my life, that airline attendant in John’s life, Saul who became Paul, and Ananias himself. My prayer is that all of us will learn to consistently ask, “God, is there someone you would have me speak with today? Is there somewhere you would have me go? Is there something you would have me do?” Be listening. Be available. Be ready. You never know what difference you will make.

Pastor Jeff Morlock is Director of Vocational Discernment at the North American Lutheran Seminary.

THE KING IS DEAD
Devotional for the Sunday of the Holy Trinity 2018
based upon Isaiah 6: 1-8

For those who are old enough, where were you on November 22, 1963, when you heard that President John F. Kennedy had been shot? Most people can tell you exactly where they were. The news sped around the world: “The President is dead.” It was shocking – unbelievable. John F. Kennedy – young, vibrant, dynamic – cut down by an assassin’s bullet. Our entire nation was plunged into grief. The following Sunday people flocked to church – and in the greatest numbers since the announcement of the end of World War II.

Twenty-seven hundred years ago another sad announcement was heard: “The King is dead.” Uzziah, king of Judah, had died. He had been crowned king at the age of sixteen and had reigned for fifty-two years. Despite his weaknesses, he was the greatest king since David. The prophet Isaiah was heartbroken. Uzziah was not only his king. He was also his friend. In grief and sorrow he wondered what to do. He made his way to the Temple – like the people after the death of President Kennedy – to find comfort and renewed faith. When in your life have you really needed to go to church to worship, to find comfort, and to have your faith strengthened and renewed?

Now no one else is mentioned as being in the Temple that day. But I have a feeling that the Temple area was full that day as thousands of people came in response to the news that the King was dead. After all, Uzziah had been king for fifty-two years. For many people, he had been king their entire lives. Many people knew no other king. And now the king is dead. When sorrow comes, when life crashes in, when our earthly source of security is gone, the best place to be is in the house of the Lord.

Isaiah went to the house of the Lord. And there he learned that even though King Uzziah had died, God had not died. God was still on His throne. Isaiah might have lost his good friend and earthly king. But that day he caught a fresh glimpse of the King of kings. That day he had an encounter with God that totally changed his life. Today you can have an encounter with God that can totally change your life.

In his encounter with God Isaiah saw four things. First, ISAIAH SAW THE LORD. And that is the greatest vision that anyone can have. To see the Lord. Isaiah writes, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty.” Another translation says, “High and lifted up.” Isaiah saw God as the central object of all praise – surrounded by angels. It was the vision Isaiah needed because Uzziah had died.

How often in worship do you have a vision of the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up? And if not very often, why not? Isaiah had a vision of the greatness and glory of God, and it changed his life. The same living Lord wants to change your life. Earthly kings will come and go. But the King of kings is King forever. He is just as powerful as He has ever been, and just as willing to reveal Himself to you. First, Isaiah saw the Lord.

Second, ISAIAH SAW HIMSELF. And he saw himself as he had never seen himself before. As he saw himself, he did not admire his image in the mirror. He did not think, “Wow! I must be the best person here, because God has revealed Himself to me.” Instead he cried out, “Woe is me! I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

And it’s true. The closer you get to God, the more clearly you see your own sin. The more you see the glory of God, the more you realize just how far you fall short of the glory of God. A weak sense of God leads to a weak sense of our own sin. While a renewed sense of God leads to a renewed sense of our own sin. Seeing the Lord high and lifted up, Isaiah saw himself in a whole new light.

Third, ISAIAH SAW GOD’S CLEANSING POWER. A live coal was brought by an angel from the altar of sacrifice and was touched to Isaiah’s lips. The altar was the place where the priests would kill the animals and then cover over the sins of the people with the blood of animals. For as God said, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

The coal had been touched by two things – blood and fire. Blood speaks of the cleansing from sin – as blood can cleanse a wound. And fire speaks of purifying power. Blood removes the sin, while fire brings power for renewed living. The angel took a blood-soaked and fire-purifying coal from the altar of sacrifice and touched it to Isaiah’s lips. Isaiah experienced the sweet, clean feeling of forgiveness, peace, and power. There is nothing like it in the world.

And then fourth, ISAIAH SAW THE WORLD. Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will go? Who will be a messenger of hope to other people who are grieving over the death of the king? Who will bring the blood and the fire to other people who need forgiveness of sins and power for living?” Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah replied, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”

Isaiah did not say, “Here am I, but please send someone else.” Nor did he say, “Before I sign up I need to find out what all is involved, how long it will be for, and what is in it for me.” Rather he signed a blank cheque. He did not try to strike up a bargain with God. He did not attempt to negotiate a compromise. Rather when God called, Isaiah answered. When God commanded, Isaiah obeyed.

And who would respond like that? Only someone who has seen the vision. Only someone who has seen the Lord high and lifted up. And the same thing can happen for you today. King Jesus was dead, but now He is alive. He died for our sins, but He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore. And He calls us to see Him as He truly is – the holy God. He calls us to see ourselves as we truly are – sinful and in desperate need of Him. He calls us to see that He can cleanse us of all sin and give us power for renewed living. And He calls us to see that other people also need to know what He can do for them.

Today have you seen the Lord high and lifted up? Today have you been cleansed by His blood and have you received the fire of His power for living? Today are you hearing and heeding His call to go and tell others?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.”  (Psalm 50:1-2)

Look around and what do you see?  All around you is splendor and beauty.  Is this an accident?  Is this mere chance?  The fool says it is.  There is the hand of the Lord in all that you see.  Look plainly and see the magnificence of the Lord’s handiwork.  Be guided by the Holy Spirt and understand more fully the author of all that exists.  Know the Lord and come to know His handiwork.

Lord, the skeptics are all around.  They deride and jeer, mock and make much ado about nothing.  Help me move beyond this foolishness to come into Your presence and walk humbly with You, the One who made all things.  Lead me O Lord that I may follow You wherever You would take me.  Help me see in You the hope of glory and the way of living life now and forever.

Lord Jesus, God who took on flesh, You have come to lead the way of glory for all those who would follow where You lead.  Guide me O Lord today to walk humbly in Your ways.  Teach me O Lord to follow You wherever You would lead me.  May I be faithful to the calling You have given me knowing that only in You is there hope and glory now and for all time and eternity.  Amen.