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.”
Acts 3 tells us the story of a man lame from birth who was healed. Peter said to the man, ” silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give you.” What did peter mean by, “what I do have.”? He had nothing of value. By earthly standards he and the apostles had nothing of value, nothing worth giving. They were broke, on the run, and in hiding. So, Peter was correct when He said he had nothing, because he didn’t. He did however have something to give even if it wasn’t to fill the man’s cup with money. What he had was faith in Jesus Christ; an unshakable faith born of his testimony. Peter interceded on behalf of the lame man in the name of Jesus Christ and asked Jesus to do what he knew he could and the man was healed.
The truth of this verse has been reviled to me over the past several weeks. it represents a moment of extraordinary faith, a moment of exponential growth for the man who had denied Jesus (the very same Jesus he called on here) not once but three times prior to the Crucifixion.It also shows the power of intercession by believers on behalf of others, both believers and non believers, for the glory of God. Lastly, it demonstrates that in Jesus there is eternal hope.
Growth
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Faith. Peter knew that when he called on the name of Jesus his prayer would be answered. It was in that knowledge, that he stood up boldly and said, “in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” Notice how he didn’t say, “In the name of Peter,” or “I command you, rise up and walk. Those statements would have reflected the old Peter, the arrogant, mouthy, sometimes bold, but more often presumptuous fishermen from Galilee. Here are some scripture references for self-study on the growth of Peter: Matthew 16:23, Mark 14:68, John 6:68, Matthew 14:29, and John 21:17. These are only a few examples and I may do a study on the grace of God shown through the life of Peter in a few weeks if there is interest in a multi part study.
Intercessory Prayer: The power of intercessory prayer is unmistakable. God’s word tells us to pray without ceasing ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17). It further assures us that though we have the faith of a mustard seed our prayers have ultimate power.
Matthew 17:20 [Full Chapter]So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Peter did not do anything alone here. He called on the name of Jesus and prayed in that power. Without Christ, prayers are just words uttered into the eather. With Jesus, in the power of His name, prayer is imbued with power, not our power but the power of God! Jesus tells us to be persistent.
[ Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking ] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Prayer is our direct link with the Father. God communicates with us through His word and we respond through prayer. It is intended to be a two way conversation. As we practice the discipline of prayer, not only will we become better at it but we will also become more attuned to the answers that God provides. ?We are the children of God. He loves us, loves our prayers, and answers them.
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
There is a caveat. God is sovereign. Our prayers are answered in his way and his time. This is had to understand at times. As always, God’s word puts it best:
Isaiah 55:8-9 [Full Chapter]“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Through our faith we can trust that God is true and keeps his promises. My pastor said recently, “I don’t understand but I believe.”
In Jesus There is Eternal Hope: For those of us who believe in Jesus there is hope. There is hope for eternal life. In Jesus we have a friend that is acquainted with suffering. He walked the dusty streets of the earth, cried, laughed, and was angry. He was beaten tortured and died for the sin of the world so that we who believe in Him would have eternal life.
John 3:16 [Full Chapter]For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The point is, for those who believe in Jesus there is victory no matter the circumstances. Jesus conquered death and the grave. through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, we have life eternal and hope in the same.
The header on this post is a messed up hospital bed. I chose it for a reason. It is empty. Why? We don’t know the answer. is it empty because the person was made well and is still here among us? If so praise God! That means that the Lord still has things for that person to do. Is the bed empty because that person has been called home? If so, that is bittersweet. They will be missed but they will be seen again; at the wedding feast.
Give praise to the Lord almighty that His promises are real and can be trusted. Our prayers are answered, and we have hope. In Jesus, the answer in faith is Get up and walk!
Until the Whole World Hears,
LD
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