When God’s Ways Make No Sense: Learning to Trust When We Don’t Understand

Sometimes, God asks us to do things that seem impossible, unreasonable, or even frightening. The account of Ananias in Acts 9:10–19 offers encouragement for those moments when we struggle to understand God’s ways and find it difficult to trust his plans.

Following Saul’s dramatic encounter with Christ on the Damascus road, we encounter another key figure in his conversion story: Ananias, a devout disciple living in Damascus. Unlike Saul’s confused response when Christ called his name (“Who are you, Lord?” [v. 5]), Ananias immediately recognised the Lord’s voice. When God spoke to him in a vision, calling “Ananias,” he responded with the same willing submission we see throughout Scripture: “Here I am, Lord” (v. 10).

The Lord’s instructions were remarkably specific: “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul” (v. 11). This wasn’t a vague prophetic utterance but precise directions—complete with street name, house address, and the man’s identity. It was as if God had provided a GPS location for this divine appointment.

But imagine Ananias’s heart stopping when he heard that name: Saul. The mere name was sufficient to cause a Christian’s blood to run cold in his veins. Saul had a notorious reputation in Damascus as a fierce persecutor of Christians. Very likely, Ananias himself was one of Saul’s intended targets. The Lord was asking him to walk directly into what appeared to be a trap.

God added another detail that must have seemed almost impossible to believe: “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” (vv. 11–12). The reference to Saul praying is significant. Pharisees typically prayed for show—loudly, repetitively, and boastfully. But this was different. After his encounter with Christ, Saul’s prayers would were filled with repentance, gratitude, and genuine worship. His entire orientation had shifted from self to God.

Ananias responded with understandable hesitation: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name” (vv. 13–14). In essence, he was asking, “Lord, do you actually know what you’re asking me to do?”

In his grace, God provided Ananias with a glimpse into his sovereign plan: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (vv. 15–16).

This reveals something crucial about salvation: It is not primarily about us. God didn’t save Saul simply to rescue him from hell or to make him comfortable. He saved him for a purpose—to carry Christ’s name to the nations. This challenges our culture’s self-focused understanding of salvation. We are saved not primarily for our own benefit, but for God’s glory and to accomplish his purposes.

The mention of Saul’s future suffering wasn’t punishment but preparation. Christian discipleship involves self-denial, sacrifice, and dying to self. As Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Even though God doesn’t always reveal his purposes to us as he did with Ananias, we have something equally reliable: his word and promises. While we may not receive visions, Scripture provides us with “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19). We can anchor ourselves in promises like, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9) and, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Ananias’s obedience, though filled with trembling, was complete. He “departed and entered the house, and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (v. 17).

The phrase “Brother Saul” is particularly striking. Despite his fears and knowledge of Saul’s reputation, Ananias trusted God so completely that he swept the slate clean. He believed that, if Jesus loved someone, he should love that person too, regardless of their past. Their relationship would be defined by their common faith, not by history.

Ananias didn’t test the waters or seek confirmation. He put his life on the line, trusting entirely in what God had revealed to him. Immediately, scales fell from Saul’s eyes, he regained his sight, was baptised, and began eating again after his three-day fast.

Could God have simply saved and healed Saul instantly, without involving Ananias? Absolutely. But he chose to work through human obedience, faith, and trust in his promises. This is God’s consistent pattern—working through frail, feeble believers to accomplish his purposes for his glory.

Today, God gives us commands that can seem equally impossible: love your enemies, rejoice always, trust with all your heart, forgive as you have been forgiven, don’t be anxious about anything, be holy as he is holy. Like Ananias, we may find ourselves thinking these commands are for someone else—someone more spiritual or better situated than ourselves.

But God expects us to walk by faith, trusting that his ways are perfect even when we cannot see the outcome. Whatever situation we face, whatever trial confronts us, we can be assured that we are exactly where God wants us to be. This is not a mistake. God wants us to take the next step of obedience in faith, leaving the outcome to him.

The account of Ananias reminds us that God doesn’t reveal the inner workings of how he orchestrates our lives, nor does he always explain how situations will unfold. But he still expects us to trust him, take the next step of obedience, and leave the results in his sovereign hands. As we do so, we can be confident that he is transforming us “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18), working all things together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​