City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

² 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. ³ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. ⁴ And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ 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!” ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. –Acts 3:2-8 ESV

One thing have I asked of the Lord
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
–Psalm 27:4 ESV

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s verses, the unnamed man born lame reaches out his hand to Peter and John to receive alms and instead of getting a hand out, he gets a hand up! His life was totally transformed because he encountered the Holy Spirit and experienced a supernatural strengthening of his legs. 

But does the story end there? Hardly! The man leapt up and entered the temple, leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8). This miracle was completely unprompted by the man and wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit. The man born lame had never walked in his life. It simply wasn’t on his radar to ask for healing. Throughout his entire life, the best he could hope to receive were the meager offerings of passersby who took pity on his situation. That was the paradigm ingrained in his mind year over year, and ultimately that was all he had the capacity to believe for. 

In situations where you feel totally helpless to change anything and you can’t even conceive a different way of life, it’s all too natural to adopt a survivalist mentality in which you are not actively hoping or believing for anything. You are just trying to make it. 

The unnamed man born lame was in close proximity to the temple and could observe people praising God from a distance, yet he could not participate. He was an outsider. The best he could hope to receive was what others felt compelled to give him. 

Enter some Spirit-filled believers on the scene and suddenly the man born lame goes from expecting a pittance to experiencing God’s presence! This miracle is not just physical, but also a very profound spiritual encounter for the lame man who could now walk, leap, and dance to praise God. 

Application

Is there any area of your life that seems hopeless? An area in which the Lord’s presence could make all the difference? Invite the Lord to strengthen those areas that are atrophied from little to no expectation of it ever working. 

Even more importantly, direct your attention to the Lord and allow the wonder of His finished work on the cross to fill your heart. Let it overflow into praises to His name. Let the miracle of the man at the Beautiful gate remind you that we believe in a God who can do the impossible. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has already done the seemingly impossible mission of reconciling God and humanity. Don’t let the seeming hopelessness of the situation you’re facing overshadow that truth in your life. With God, there is always hope. 

Prayer

Dear God, I am so amazed at Your ability to miraculously turn lives around, just like You did with the man who was born lame. Similarly, I invite Your Presence into my life. In the areas where I am just surviving on a pittance, I want to experience the wonder-working power of Your presence. May my heart always praise You. In Jesus’ name, amen.