Acts 9:17
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
"The proof is in the pudding," is an old saying that means you have to try something or experience something to really get the full understanding or appreciation of it. In our lives we also experience things but can't understand it's meaning or outcome down the road, but you know it's important. A child going to school might not like school, but it's important so you send them.
Today Saul is out to get Christians but is struck down by Jesus. He doesn't understand what is blinded him or made him so ill. He heard the voice but no one was there. Even his travelling companions didn't see anyone. What must he be thinking? Is he fully convinced it was Jesus or was it just a lightning bolt or some other natural phenomenon or even a medical condition like a stroke? He might be looking for some proof or confirmation of what he experienced. Then Jesus calls Ananias to visit Saul and to tell Saul that it was Jesus who sent him to visit. This was all the proof Saul needed. He was baptized and began to preach in the synagogue.
When things don't go our way or we need direction with a weighty issue, we pray and ask God for a sign. Sometimes those signs are apparent, but most of the time they are in the stillness of life and we have to look for them and we often look for proof. Like Ananias, God may be using you as a messenger to bring the love of Jesus to others. It might take courage, as Ananias had to face, but it is your call. Take some quiet time to pray today to listen to what God is calling you to, then do it with holy boldness!
