Acts 9:15 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.”

Sometimes God uses human instruments to convey His commands, His calling. Here He uses Ananias as part of commissioning Saul, who would go on to convey God’s commission to many more. The only danger to this is that some people get such inflated opinions of themselves that they go around commanding others without confirming what God has to say about it. That’s dangerous for everyone involved! That said, when someone expresses “a Word from the Lord” to you, you need to listen in all humility, and then lay it before the Lord and ask for His confirmation. He’s good about doing that! It was first prophesied over my wife that she would be a missionary to Japan when she was three years old, but she didn’t find out about that from her parents until she had been a missionary here for many years. She personally became aware of a calling to missions when she was 12, and that was sharpened to Japan when she was 13. I really think that was a major factor in her father accepting her engagement to me so readily when she was 21, even though she had been engaged to someone else previously. I don’t know that many people are aware of such commissioning, but it certainly happens, because the Bible is replete with statements that God plans for us before we are conceived. Again, though, God doesn’t do such things as isolated statements through some “prophet,” but confirms His guidance in countless ways. I’m sure Saul had guidance of all sorts, both immediately after this encounter and all through his life, though the Bible only records the smallest fraction of those. We need to be assured that A, God has a plan for us, and B, He will indeed guide us into it.

My own experience wasn’t as dramatic as that of my wife, probably because I was such a conceited twit. I did tell my parents, at Robert Livingston’s grave in Westminster Abbey, that someday I would be a missionary, but I promptly forgot that, and it was only after I was a married father that it was consciously renewed in me. The only “prophetic word” I can remember receiving along those lines was from a member of the ministry team at some meeting I attended, in Virginia, I think, about how I would be “a helper.” My distinct memory is that the young man delivering that “word” thought he was putting me down for my conceit, but the Lord assured me that His plans for me didn’t depend on other people’s evaluations of me. That said, my ministry has indeed been that of a helper, helping people understand God’s love and plans for them. Prophets often don’t understand all the ramifications of what they speak from the Lord! I am to be faithful indeed as a helper, allowing God to use me however He pleases, for His pleasure and glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how much we were able to get done yesterday in setting up the gallery exhibit, and for the help we got. Thank You that the same person will be with us this morning as we finish the setup. I do ask Your blessings for him, and especially that You would give him the courage to commit fully to Jesus as Lord. I pray that throughout this week, that everyone who comes into the gallery would be impacted by Your presence, drawn by my photographs and Cathy’s craft goods, realizing that there is a Creator who loves them. May we be agents of Your harvest in this city, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!