S92P7 – God’s miraculous provision: the lame man

Acts 3:6-10

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

An older gentleman walked around the corner and saw the young man who had been offering people prayer.  The gentleman asked for money for food, and the young man asked if he first could pray for him.  As the young man prayed over the gentleman’s knee, his face seemed to change.  He previously seemed sad and dejected, but now his eyes began to widen.  We could tell that he was feeling something as a result of this prayer, and the knee which had caused him to limp down the street was changing.  When the young man finished praying, the gentlemen had no words.  In fact, he was so transformed by that meeting that he walked away gingerly, happy with his healing and completely forgetting he had asked for money in the first place.

We have many needs in this life.  Sometimes we can be distracted by smaller things and led to lose focus on the bigger things.  Other times we seek God only for the need we believe He can take care of because some needs are just too much or too big to ask.  The lame man could not provide for himself so he asked others to help provide for him.  His poverty and hunger were symptoms of his ailment, but the ailment was what was crying out to be changed.  God could have provided some food or money for him, but instead He did the greater thing and healed the illness which had precipitated the rest.  The man likely never even imagined that the root cause of his brokenness could be fixed.

When asked whether I need prayer, I have been guilty of responding with less than what I really need, and I am not alone in that.  Perhaps this comes from not wanting to burden others with our problems. Perhaps we think God himself would rather not be burdened.  Whatever the case, our heavenly Father wants us to seek from him everything we need.  From the big to the small, from the expected to the unimaginable, He is there to meet our needs.  He wants to do great and mighty things for us, and it lets us have a hand in glorifying him in the process.  Father, give us the confidence and courage to seek from You the greatest of our needs in full expectation that You will provide.