Blind Ananias

Acts 9:1-20

The road was long
Especially since Ananias kept traveling
parts of it
over and over again.

In a vision, the Lord had said,
"Go to the house of Judas.
Ask for a man from Tarsus
named Saul."

Go to Saul?
Surely Ananias had heard wrong.
Saul?
Didn't God know what Saul had done?
Ananias felt like Judas
Going to see Saul.

The Lord had said,
"Saul is praying.
Place your hands on him,
and restore his sight."

Ananias had tried to tell God,
had tried to remind him
of all of the harm that Saul had done.
All of the believers that he had hurt.
All of the believers that he would hurt.
Didn't God understand?
Why would He ask this of Ananias?

So Ananias had left his home,
and started walking down the road.
And then he would turn back,
convinced that he had heard wrong.
He would walk toward home.
Then he would turn around,
And walk toward Straight street again,
knowing that he had heard correctly,
but not understanding it.

Why?
Why had he been asked to do this?
He hated Saul.
He had no desire
to even be near the man.
He feared the man.
But he loved his Lord,
and he would obey,
in blind faith.

Ananias walked into a place
where he would never have chosen to go
Into a house to speak with a man
he would never have chosen to speak with.
To touch a man,
To heal a man,
who he would rather leave blind.

In the room sat Saul,
praying, fasting,
repentent?
In blind trust,
Ananias placed his hands on the enemy
and said, "Brother,
The Lord has sent me
The one who appeared on the road to you
Has sent me
So that you may see again
And so that you may truly see
For the first time.

Scales fell from Saul's eyes,
And he saw Ananias.
Scales fell from Ananias' eyes,
and he could see
that Saul had been seeing clearing
for three days.