I am in the book of Acts in my daily Bible reading. Can we talk about Ananias for a moment?
Imagine hearing that the most dangerous enemy of the church is on his way to our city. Not just a critic. Not just someone who disagrees with our beliefs. No—someone who hunts down people like us.
That was Saul of Tarsus. And he was coming to Damascus.
Now imagine we’re Ananias. Followers of Jesus. Living in that very town. We’ve heard the stories—how Saul dragged believers out of their homes, how he stood approvingly over Stephen’s death. We’ve prayed for protection. Warned others. Maybe even considered where we’d hide if Saul showed up at our door.
And then... the Lord speaks.
“Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (Acts 9:11–12 ESV).
Can we feel the lump in our throat?
Ananias doesn’t stay silent. He says what many of us would say:
“But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” (Acts 9:13–14 ESV).
That wasn’t rebellion. That was fear. Real, understandable, human fear.
And Jesus doesn’t rebuke him for it. He simply tells him to go.
That’s the part that grabs me. Ananias didn’t obey after his fear disappeared. He obeyed through his fear.
How often does God ask us to do something that feels scary?
Maybe He’s not telling us to knock on the door of a persecutor, but maybe He is asking us to speak up at work. To share our faith with a friend. To forgive someone who hurt us deeply. To live with integrity when it could cost us something big.
And our first instinct? It might sound just like Ananias:
“Lord, I have heard...”
“Lord, do you know what this could cost me?”
“Lord, what if it goes badly?”
We want to explain the risks to the One who already knows them.
But He still says, “Go.”
That’s not a call to fearlessness—it’s an invitation to faith.
And faith doesn’t mean the absence of fear. It means trusting Jesus more than the fear. It means moving with Him while our hearts are pounding. It means choosing obedience when the consequences aren’t guaranteed to be easy.
Ananias had every reason to say no. But he said yes.
And that yes became the beginning of something massive. Saul became Paul. The gospel spread like wildfire. And tucked into that story forever is the name of the man who obeyed in trembling trust.
I wonder:
What might God want to do through our scared yes?
What could grow in us—or around us—if we choose the narrow path that takes courage to walk?
If we stay frozen in fear, God’s plans won’t be stopped. But we may miss the joy of seeing Him work through us.
Ananias reminds us: it’s not wrong to be afraid. But we serve a Savior who walks with us through fear and equips us as we go.
Let’s not settle for comfort. Let’s not blend in to avoid friction. Let’s be people who walk forward—even when it’s scary—trusting the voice of the One who calls.
“...seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 ESV).
How has God invited you to step forward in faith—even when fear was loud? Share your thoughts in the comments so we can walk this road of faith together.
One of my biggest fears: On the Day of Judgment hearing my kids say, “My daddy didn’t tell me anything about that.”