The Lame Will Leap
Acts 3:1-10
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in an impossible situation? Not only did it feel like there was utterly no hope for you, but you knew that things would only get worse. Moreover, you knew that you did not deserve God's merciful involvement in your situation.
This is precisely how the lame man in Acts 3.1-10 felt. In fact, this person was lame from birth and would go out daily to the gate of the temple to beg for donations. Being lame from birth meant that this person or this person's parents did something evil to warrant such a tragic life. This meant that there was no reason to believe that God would extend his mercy toward him.
Yet the lame beggar encounters Peter and John who were on their way to pray at the hour of prayer—the ninth hour. With boldness, and even swagger, Peter and John command the beggar to look at them, to rise, and to walk! Based on verses 7-8, the beggar is not healed until Peter and John physically raise him up! Now being healed, the lame beggar "leaps" and praises God.
There are quite a few important points that we can learn from this miraculous account that I will explain in greater detail: God often waits for us to recognize how impossible our situation is and how undeserving we are of his grace before he delivers us. As followers of Christ, our focus should be on connecting with God, not chasing miracles. More specifically, God is calling us to pray with greater obedience.
This passage must be understood within the context of Acts: God's movement is not based on miracles, but on Word and Spirit. This passage must also be understood within the context of Scripture: Acts 3.8 is a fulfillment of a promise prophesied centuries earlier in Isaiah 35.6.
Questions:
1. Scripture repeatedly points out that God often waits for us to recognize how impossible our situation is and how undeserving we are of his grace before he delivers us (e.g., Exodus 2.23-25; Isaiah 34-35; John 9.1-3). Share about an experience that you had with this (past or current). Why does God often work in this way?
2. Unlike other religions, prayer in Christianity is motivated by the fact that God prays on our behalf (Romans 8.26-27, 34; Heb 7.25). Even now, the Spirit and the Son are interceding on your behalf! One way to respond to this is by seeking God in prayer. What kind of issues is God placing in your life to motivate you to pray? In your prayers, how has God shifted your attention away from the issues, and helped you to appreciate more on who God is and how he is working in your life?
3. One of the dangers of a passage like this is that we end up focusing more on miracles and having our problems solved than on God himself. This is why Acts repeatedly emphasizes Word and Spirit (6.7; 8.4; 10.44; 19.20). In what ways are you struggling with focusing too much on having problems solved instead of appreciating God through his Word and Spirit?
