You are God’s Chosen Instrument
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!†“Yes, Lord,†he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and lay his hands on him and restore his sight.†“Lord,†Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem...But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.â€
Acts 9:10-16
In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and lay his hands on him and restore his sight.†“Lord,†Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem...But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.â€
Acts 9:10-16
When Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, the power of the brightness that radiated from Christ, left him blind for a few days. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had experienced the very presence of God. The Jesus whose followers he had been persecuting had now revealed Himself to him as the living God. There was a dramatic transformation as he prayed and God assured him in a vision that his sight would be restored through a man called Ananias.
Ananias was a rather reluctant healer. He was skeptical about Paul’s conversion. But Jesus made it clear that Saul was a man on a mission. He was God’s chosen instrument to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. Saul’s sight was supernaturally restored when Ananias laid his hands on him. Saul was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and after just a few days he began to preach that “Jesus is the Son of God.†He had discovered his true purpose in life.
When Saul got the clear understanding that he was a chosen instrument for God. He passionately pursued his “newly found purpose.†But the truth is, it wasn’t a new purpose at all. It was what God had created him to do all along. He had been on a journey of discovery all along.
David reminds us in Psalm 139 that all the days ordained for our lives were written in God’s book before one of them came to be. God said to Jeremiah that before he formed him in the womb, He had already appointed him as a prophet to the nations.
God has a unique purpose for each of us. Sometimes we do not fully discover that purpose until much later in life. But the purpose is unalterable. It is written in God’s Book. We must discover it.
I want to encourage you to take a hard look at your life today. You might probably not really believe or accept it given the many struggles you have encountered. But it is true: you are God’s chosen instrument for a particular purpose in life. You have a unique mission and He has preserved you for that mission. If you really listen to Jesus today, He will give you your own Damascus road experience and you will discover that purpose with perfect clarity.
Ananias was a rather reluctant healer. He was skeptical about Paul’s conversion. But Jesus made it clear that Saul was a man on a mission. He was God’s chosen instrument to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. Saul’s sight was supernaturally restored when Ananias laid his hands on him. Saul was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and after just a few days he began to preach that “Jesus is the Son of God.†He had discovered his true purpose in life.
When Saul got the clear understanding that he was a chosen instrument for God. He passionately pursued his “newly found purpose.†But the truth is, it wasn’t a new purpose at all. It was what God had created him to do all along. He had been on a journey of discovery all along.
David reminds us in Psalm 139 that all the days ordained for our lives were written in God’s book before one of them came to be. God said to Jeremiah that before he formed him in the womb, He had already appointed him as a prophet to the nations.
God has a unique purpose for each of us. Sometimes we do not fully discover that purpose until much later in life. But the purpose is unalterable. It is written in God’s Book. We must discover it.
I want to encourage you to take a hard look at your life today. You might probably not really believe or accept it given the many struggles you have encountered. But it is true: you are God’s chosen instrument for a particular purpose in life. You have a unique mission and He has preserved you for that mission. If you really listen to Jesus today, He will give you your own Damascus road experience and you will discover that purpose with perfect clarity.
Prayer: Father, I know you created me for a divinely ordained purpose. Please help me to live out that purpose with unrelenting passion. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.