Godly Intention

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.”
 
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.  Acts 9:15-19

We all have a clear understanding of the saying ‘cause and effect.’  In science, it is about the laws of physics (Newton’s Law of motion), but in life, many refer to it as karma.  While there are fundamentally clear explanation on the physics side (a ball being hit by a bat in baseball, or one person pushing another who is standing still), I get amused when I hear similar explanations on an intangible level (ex. you get out of the world what you put in).  I have always believed that things happen for a reason that God always intends for.  The typical outcome for a teen dad such as me is often a long and difficult path. However, the birth of my daughter (cause) became the transformative moment that helped become the foundation for my faith (effect).  I realized then there truly was a God, and that He is always watching over me.

God always acts with long term intention, and our goal is to both understand and act on it.  Today’s verses focus on a disciple named Ananias.  While we are not sure of all of the circumstances surrounding Ananias’ life, we know that he was called on by God in this very important part of spreading the gospel.  He is directly instructed by God to confirm to Saul that indeed it was Jesus who spoke to him.  The ‘cause’ of this meeting set forth the ‘effect’ of Saul being baptized, changing his name to Paul, his spreading of the gospel to all nations, and writing a vast majority of the New Testament.  That’s not karma.  That is the power of Godly intention.

Listening to God’s intention changes others’ lives.  We may never know how our story may change the fortune of another, but if we listen to God like Ananias, we may be the start of a God inspired movement.  After all, very few people ever heard of Mordecai Ham, but one person converted over to Christ because of him.  That person was Billy Graham.  Coincidence? Karma?  I think not!  Do you understand God’s intention for your life?  Are you spiritually aware of God’s movement in your own actions?  My prayer is that we have clarity on Christ’s intentions in our daily activity.  Amen.