Behold He Prayeth

When Saul of Tarsus encountered Jesus Christ in a vision it changed his life. He was knocked to the ground and heard a voice. "And he trembling and astonished said Lord what would you have me to do." (Acts 9:4, 6)

Though he had been a very dangerous religious man, Saul was now a humble, broken, transformed believer in Christ. What really happened in this man's life? We realize on a human level that one event could trigger and produce a change, but this was very different. This event was not a car accident or the loss of a job or husband, or the winning of a pile of money, but an encounter with God. 

On a divine or transcendent level, we read in the Bible what happened to Saul. He was translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:12-13). He was born again spiritually; he became a son of God (John 3:5; John 1:12). At least 95 things happened to Saul at the moment of his salvation. (Ask us for this list.)

He had been a notorious persecutor of believers but now became one of the persecuted.

God sends a believer, Ananias, to seek for Saul. "And the Lord said unto him go into the street which is called Straight...for behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11).

This statement is striking. God knows who is praying and where they are praying. He is aware of their present address and of the purpose of their prayers. We should be instructed by these simple words -- "Behold he prayeth."

Does God "feel" our prayers? If God was sharing information regarding you, would you be marked as the one who prays?

Lastly, I think we underestimate what it means to God that we pray. With a quick look through the Bible, we see God answering the prayers of Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Hannah, David, Solomon, and Daniel. We could mention the prayers answered in the Gospels and Acts. Paul writes to the Ephesians of three specific prayers to be prayed - prayer for wisdom (Eph 1:17-19), prayer that Christ would dwell in our hearts (Eph. 3), and prayer that God would open our mouths to make known the mystery of the Gospel (Eph. 6).

Does the fervent prayer of a righteous man avail much? James 5:16 tells that it does. Imagine, God said these words to Ananias - "Behold, he prayeth."