“And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.”
Acts 3:2 ESV
How quickly life can change. This man didn’t know much else than what was before him. He most likely had had the same routine for most of his life. He had be asking for help most of his life. We need to remember that there is nothing wrong with this. We all need help. And he kept asking. It was on this day that the answer was different than all the others. He was asking for money or more specifically alms, but Peter and John did not give him gold or silver, they gave him the gift of Jesus. The gift of new life that Jesus had given to Peter and John was given to this man, this loved child of God. His life was forever changed. He did not expect to be able to stand up and walk home when he left that morning but he was. The people around him probably weren’t expecting to see something out of the ordinary but they met with the power of Jesus and their lives were forever changed.
We have to be careful that we don’t think that everything we want we will get. This isn’t about getting what you want or even what you ask for. This man did not get what he asked for, he received what was unexpected. We need to remember that we don’t always get the healing that we ask for. Paul did not get relief from the “thorn” in his side but the message that he received was that God’s grace would be sufficient. This also isn’t about Peter and John, this is about God’s gift to His people.
What we can take from this account is that it is important to keep asking. Don’t give up. This man kept asking for help each and everyday. The other thing that we need to remember is to be willing to accept the gift that is given to you even though it isn’t what you asked for. In this instance it was the gift of God’s grace and healing that is given from Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, through people like you and I, Peter and John. We also need to remember to give what we have been given. Give the gift of Jesus. Give the gift of hope, of healing, of grace, of life.