Acts 9:9-19

Paul remained three days in the house where he was taken. Unable to see, he neither ate nor drank. This time gave Paul a long period of consideration and prayer. 

It was also a time when the Holy Spirit was revealing the understanding of the Messiah to his heart, mind, and soul.

Now Paul knew he was wrong about Jesus and the believers and could not help but realize that he had been wrong about the Old Testament teachings and its prophecies.

Paul now knew that what he had said and done against Christ was blasphemy. He was in physical darkness, but the light and love of Christ was being shed into his heart.

On the third day, the Lord appeared in a vision to a disciple named Ananias. This was a supernatural moment, not a dream. Ananias responded by saying “Here I am, Lord” and showed he was willing to obey whatever God may command.

Later, in Acts 22:12, Paul will reveal that Ananias was a devout Jew converted to the Lord and still kept a good reputation among the Jews in Damascus.

Jesus told Ananias to rise and go to the street called straight and find in the house of Judas a man named Saul of Tarsus. Might we mention how detailed were the instructions given to God’s messenger?

Ananias was told Paul was praying, meaning that Paul was humbled and waiting before God. Ananias was told that a vision had been given to Paul identifying by name the man commanded to come to him, who would lay hands on him and restore his sight.

God was preparing Paul even before Ananias arrived.

We notice here that Jesus did not call Peter or John, nor was it necessary for any other apostle to lay hands on Paul. Ananias was a godly man but was not an apostle.

This instance was so that Paul did not get his commission from any other apostle, but from the command of Jesus himself through a humble helper who was simply a believer.

Though Ananias originally expressed his willingness to obey the Lord, he grew concerned when given the name of the man to whom he was to be sent. He knew about this man and that he had done many terrible things to believers and to the church in Jerusalem. 

But Jesus told him to go as commanded and that this man was a chosen vessel unto Christ, to bear His name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the children of Israel.

Jesus further said that He would show Paul how great things he must suffer for the name of the Lord.

Ananias went as ordered and found Paul and laid his hands upon him, calling him “brother Saul”, and confirmed to Paul that he knew Jesus had appeared to Paul and that he had come to Paul to restore his sights and to deliver to him the Holy Ghost.

At that moment the scales fell from the eyes of Paul and with his sight restored, Paul rose and was baptized. Paul ate and gained strength and stayed with the Damascus believers for several days.

He went and preached in the synagogues, preaching Christ as the son of God.

We have no scripture that gives us any information about Ananias before this moment, nor do we have any scripture that teaches us what he did after this moment. 

This man, and his faithful devotion, reminds us of the time when Elijah was hiding in fear of the death threat of Jezebel, and he told God he was the last one faithful to the Lord. God replied that he had 7,000 who had not bent the knee to the false god Baal, and by this moment assured Elijah, and us, that God will always have His own people ready to accept His commands and do His will.