Damascus, but not back to Israel

Tuesday April 20th, Acts 9: 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Ananias was not interested in going to where Saul/Paul was, he had heard the stories and “Knew” Saul/Paul’s reputation. Saul/Paul was not interested in going into the midst of the Christian community in Damascus, he knew that they knew his reputation for wanting to kill them all. Paul was also not interested in taking this new message of the risen Christ to the Gentile community; they were for this former purist, the epitome of ungodliness. For Paul, who was the righteous of the righteous, the Gentiles were worse than this new Christian group. I heard it said one time that the way to make God laugh is to tell God what your plans are. God was already out ahead of Paul, and Ananias, and the Gentiles and God is already out ahead of you and I. Where is God leading you that you don’t want to go? Is God laughing yet? Isn’t it ironic that with Paul going to Damascus, today he would not be allowed in Israel?