Title: He is praying / Acts 9:10-22
Contents
He is praying / Acts 9:10-22
Saul met the Lord on the road to Damascus, and after receiving a profound change of heart, he was led into Damascus. Because he was blinded by the light, he could not see. Then he went into the house of a Jewish man, gave up food and drink, and began to pray.
1. The Lord was preparing Ananias for Saul.
God assigned a mentor to use Saul as a vessel of God, and it was a man named Ananias. Ananias was also living in Damascus and praying. "At that time" means when Saul was praying in the house of the Jews. While he was praying, the Lord appeared in a vision to a man named Ananias in Damascus and said, "Ananias!" and called. Our Lord has appeared in the sovereignty and initiative.
However, what we need to be careful of is that these spiritual experiences are helpful in our life of faith, and even though there are precious gifts, there are fakes. Even though the gold ring looks real, just as there are fakes, even the devil may give false illusions to hinder them. Some people do not know how to discern the visions of the devil, and there are others who are greatly discouraged and disappointed while boasting and revealing that they are the visions the Lord has given them.
Then, how can we know that a spiritual experience such as a vision is a gift from the Lord? It is said that you can recognize a tree by its fruit. Just as an apple can tell if it is an apple tree, by looking at a person's personality, character, and actions before the Lord, you can roughly tell whether the gifts he has received are true or fake. On the other hand, even if you see the vision and hear the voice, it must be proven. If a prophecy is made, it must be fulfilled according to the prophecy. If you have seen and heard a fantasy, it must come true. If it doesn't, it's fake.
The Lord said, "Get up, go to the street called Straight, go to the house of the Jews, and find a man named Saul of Tarsus. The words "Get up" show that Ananias is praying now.
Here we can see that the Lord will do what the Lord will do, and what I can do I must do. There is nothing man can do to save us. It is God's work to give the Word and to give gifts and powers. Illusions cannot be given by man or science. All I have to do is experience it and then go and find it. It is my job to nurture by praying, baptizing, and teaching the Word.
2. The Lord saw Saul praying.
Then the Lord said, "I am praying." If you look at the original language, these words were spoken by the Lord with joy. “I am praying.” When the Lord sees people praying like this, He is pleased. The old people said it looked good when they saw rice in their mouths. He also said it was good to see the water flowing into the rice fields. The Lord is pleased when he sees his people praying. Our Lord is looking for people who pray. He said that the Lord's heart is burning when he sees him praying.
“The eyes of the Lord run through all the earth, to show power for those whose heart is wholehearted toward him.” With the accumulated grace, the Lord is waiting for those who pray. Seeing that I did not pray, the Lord said that it was strange. He said, "I want to give and I want to live an abundant life, but you don't pray. What you don't have is that you don't ask."
When the Lord met Nathanael, He said, "You are a true Israelite, and there is no deceit in me." Jesus came with his disciples from afar toward the place where Nathanael was. The two met for the first time today. But when Jesus saw Nathanael, he praised him as a true Israelite. So Nathanael asked, "How do you know me when you first met me?" He said, "I saw you while you were under the fig tree." The Lord saw Nathanael praying under the fig tree. And he liked it and saw it with pleasure.
Everyone! Go under the fig tree of prayer. The Lord will be pleased to see you praying in the morning. Isn't prayer what connects heaven and me on this earth? It is prayer that determines the power of heaven. I am weak and lacking, but prayer is to make God do things that I cannot do. Prayer is the key to unlocking all the treasures of heaven. If you pray, God will work, but if you do not pray, you will wither, dry, and have constant problems, and you will continue to wander through trials and conflicts, and you will not be able to enjoy the good things that God has given you.
3. When Ananias laid his hands on his hands, the Lord removed the scales from Saul's eyes.
When Ananias laid his hands on Saul, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes. I saw you again. The scales of doubt must be peeled off from our eyes, and the scales of the wrong view, which we loved and longed for in the world, must be peeled off. It should be our eyes that long for grace and look at high places, and our eyes that can see valuable and eternal things, but these scales are blocking us from seeing. It prevents us from seeing the light of the Lord's glory and from seeing the good things that God has prepared for us. May these scales come off while praying and when your servant lays hands on him. The scales of sin must be peeled away from your eyes, layer by layer. Those scales that look at the faults and blemishes of others must be removed. The scales that keep looking at and pointing out the faults and shortcomings of our brothers, without realizing that there is a beam in their own eyes, must be removed.
When the scales were removed, Saul was able to see again, saying, "Jesus made him see again." When Jesus regained his sight, the covering was immediately removed. It is the Lord's work that your servant lay his hands on his hands and let the scales come off. When those who have received grace pray, it is the Lord who heals them and gives them gifts. If I do it, I'm proud. Ananias simply prayed in obedience to the word of the Lord. Ananias only obeyed the Word, and the Lord had done it for him to let it go.
4. The Lord gave Saul the mission of evangelism.
He said, "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake." There are many trials and tribulations along the way to follow the Lord. He did not say that He would always give us a smooth path on the way to trust in Jesus. If the road is too flat, you may fall. That is why Job is considered better than Solomon's wealth and wealth. Solomon fell because of wealth and honor, but Job became twice as strong because of suffering. The sun is nice, but if you keep shining it will turn into a desert. Rain is good, but if it continues, the flood will come and it will be destroyed. The Lord always makes it right for us.
Then he said, "Immediately in every synagogue they preached that Jesus was the Son of God." It is not only the believers, deacons, and elders who have been in the faith for a long time to evangelize. Although Saul had not believed in Jesus for a while, he went out to preach as soon as he met Jesus and was baptized.
Everyone! Please testify that Jesus is the Christ. Say "I met. I experienced it." Saul immediately preached the gospel. Do not fall for the spiritual laziness that the devil gives you. Take off the scales, gain strength, and immediately say that Jesus is the Christ. Then the Lord works. It is the Lord who yields and brings back.
The Lord worked on two people who were praying. I prayed while understanding the will of the Lord in reverence. I prayed for the Lord's work.