A series of eight posts will be published to correlate with the free Ephesians study guide.  This is the first.

Are you one of those people who sometimes laughs at inappropriate moments?

I am one of those people.

For some reason, things that are ironic or absurd, but not necessarily intended to be funny, really strike a chord with me. (This can be socially awkward.)

The account of Ananias in the Book of Acts (chapter 9) is one of those absurd moments for me. It makes me laugh.

Ananias, living in Damascus, is a follower of Christ who receives a vision from the Lord. The Lord literally calls him by name, and Ananias says, “Yes, Lord?”

The Lord specifically instructs Ananias to go to a house and lay his hands on Saul of Tarsus, in order to restore his eyesight.

Ananias is clearly very connected to the God of the universe. He both hears from the Lord in a vision and receives miraculous powers through the Lord.

Straight forward enough, right?

However…Ananias is unsure.

We have to remember that at this point, everyone (except God) knows Saul only as the notorious, rage-filled murderer of Christ followers. And Ananias is a Christ follower.

So instead of immediately obeying the God — the God of the universe, the God who is and was and is to come — Ananias takes it upon himself to remind God of who Saul is.

In my head, it goes something like this:

“Ummm… just one minute, God of the universe. I think perhaps you have forgotten…you may be making a mistake here…. Saul is currently on a murderous rampage…so with all due respect, you just asked me to do something crazy…”

Or in my teenagers’ words, “Bruh. Seriously? Yeet!” (I don’t understand them either.)

I laughed to myself about Ananias all day yesterday. He is absurdly bold.

The Lord just spoke to him out loud…in a vision. He is giving Ananias specific instructions.

How many times have we all wished for that? (Which job, Lord? Which school?  Just tell me. What do I do about this difficult situation? Just give me a sign.)

God speaks to Ananias clearly. And yet Ananias is so terrified that he takes it upon himself to confront, and possibly correct, God.

What?

Well, as you probably know, it all works out. God tells him to go anyway, Ananias goes, Saul receives his sight, and many of the Gentiles (therefore many of us) come to know God, the Lord of heaven and earth.

Is God asking you to do anything crazy these days? Have you ever said, “Umm….excuse me God…are you aware of what you are asking? Can I remind you if some things?”

Don’t worry. It happened to Ananias 2,000 years ago and it happens to all of us.

God can seem a little crazy to us sometimes, but he’s always right. He knows it all, and he loves us more than we can imagine.  Because of His power and love, we can be both bold and brave.

Peace and courage today, in His name.