Daily Thought

It is now three days since Saul’s experience on the Damascus road. The light of the glory of Christ had blinded him and he is now a broken man. The proud and arrogant persecutor is now a humble believer in the Lord Jesus. He has been led by the hand to a house in the city to which he had been travelling. His murderous intention had been to apprehend any who were Christians there; to bring them to Jerusalem, to judgement, and perhaps indeed to death. But now, suddenly, miraculously, he himself is a believer, waiting for further guidance, and fasting - without food or drink while he waits.

The Lord speaks to a disciple in Damascus called Ananias. We have not heard of Ananias before and we shall not hear of him again, but he is a man in the right place at the right time and God will use him. He is directed to the house of Judas in the street called Straight, which no doubt he knew well. He would find Saul of Tarsus there, and ‘behold, he prayeth’. Ananias is naturally anxious. He had heard of Saul, enemy of the saints and of the gospel. He had heard what evil this infamous man had done to the church in Jerusalem. Saul’s name must have been well known to the believers as a blasphemer and persecutor, an avowed adversary of Jesus and His followers. But things are different now, ‘behold, he prayeth’. It must be with some trepidation that Ananias sets out to find him.

To Ananias is given the privilege of baptizing Saul. ‘Brother Saul’, he so tenderly addresses him. Saul’s sight is restored. He is a chosen vessel. God has great things in mind for this man of whom it is said, ‘Behold, he prayeth’.

We remember how Saul had prayed at the very moment of his conversion. In years to come, how often he would write to the saints urging them to ‘continue in prayer’, to ‘pray without ceasing’, and indeed he would write, ‘pray for us’, Col. 4. 2; 1 Thess. 5. 17, 25. How early did this new convert learn the value of intercession! Like an infant, as it were, he had learned to say, ‘Abba’, Rom. 8. 15. His life as a Christian was born in prayer, and doubtless on many subsequent occasions it might again have been said of him, ‘behold, he prayeth’.