As I read, is there one thing that stands out or takes hold of me? The one thing may be quite different for you, and if I read the same readings tomorrow that one thing might even be different for me.

Today, I am thinking about Ananias and the trust that he had to go to Saul. There was no greater threat than Saul. Ananias knew the real personal risk in getting close to Saul. Ananias put his life on the line in responding to God’s direction. And yet, Ananias became the instrument that God used to bring about the most dramatic conversion in scripture. The enemy of the gospel suddenly became its greatest voice.

When faced with a difficult decision, I remember hearing a pastor describe how in his life the decision that God wanted him to take was usually the one, when he thought about it, that made him sick. I have found the same to be true when I have faced difficult decisions. It is also what I see in Ananias. If the decision is easy, then trusting God is easy – in fact, trusting God may not even be necessary! But if the direction God is giving is to a place I really do not want to go, then trust must be absolute. God invites us to trust God.

Psalm 16:9 – Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. When has God called you to a place where trusting God was essential, because you could not make it on your own? Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. Psalm 16:1 Thank God, for the witness of Ananias.