S141P4 – More precious than gold: miracles meeting needs
Acts 3:1-7
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 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. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
Things were not going well on many fronts, so she did what she usually did to make herself feel better. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door for a day of treating and pampering herself. Her first stop was for a cup of her favorite coffee, then she headed to the bookstore. With a few hundred books already filling the shelves in her home, she could not think of a new one she wanted to read. The casual browsing became a real hunt, and she was frustrated that she could not find a book she liked. Then, a woman struggling with her own problems struck up a conversation. They talked, they laughed, and they ended up praying together for one another. Leaving that store empty-handed, she knew that no amount of pampering or retail therapy would have given her what she received from that encounter.
This man who approached Peter and John was living in a pattern. Unable to earn a living for himself, he depended on the generosity of others to get him through the day. For him, receiving that money was a great need because it meant other needs would be met. Perhaps he was hungry. Perhaps he lacked adequate shelter. Perhaps he needed to pay for some other necessary care. The man thought he needed money, but Peter showed him that he needed something else a little more. When he received that miracle, his other needs vanished if even for only a moment. He would rise up leaping and running into the temple, praising the God who had healed him. No piece of gold, no garment, no meal would have come anywhere close to providing what that miracle gave him.
We can get tunnel vision when we focus on what we think we need. It is important to understand that we have a Father who knows our needs and who wants to meet them. We must be open for him to show us a better way in all respects. It is so precious when we are open to God revealing the desires of his heart, because they always are better than ours. Before we ask for what we need, let us take the time to ask what He would like to give us. If it is a contest between him and me, I am sure He will imagine the greater gift. Father, thank You for the miraculous ways in which You met our needs, and help us to defer to your desires and your ways when we pray for our needs to be met.