In Acts 3, we see Peter and John going through an ordinary routine when their day was interrupted by a man. We don’t even get this man’s name, except that we were given the detail that he was a lame man begging by the temple gate. Peter expresses that he does not have a lot of worldly possessions to offer; however, he has something better. The miraculous healing of Jesus. The man gets up, goes inside the temple, praises God, and so many others seem to have been moved by God’s work in this man.
What does this story have to do with me two thousand years later in a world and life that seem very different from Peter, John, and the lame man? God included these verses in Scripture because they have everything to do with what I am going through. Every single person was or still is an orphan, a slave, dead in their trespasses, outside of the heavenly gift of God’s grace, or in this story, a temple gate. God miraculously healed this man and me. Internal, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing is as powerful as physical healing. The coolest part about it was that if the lame man was never lame, then his walking in the temple praising God would seem insignificant to those around him. It’s not about how great we are at seeming like a good person; it’s in our weaknesses that we point to God’s miracles, which move other people.
This point in the early church teaches us that even in our busy calendars, God wants to intervene and work miracles. Who is God constantly putting in your path? Maybe you have been the lame man, and you’ve been healed, and now you need to go praise God and show others the scars that point to God. Maybe you don’t have a lot of money or possessions to offer others, but maybe offering prayer or your time more frequently can lead to God’s healing even more than a few dollars could.