Acts 9:32-43
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he
went to visit the saints(A) in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named
Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him,
“Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your
mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda
and Sharon saw him and turned to the
Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.37 About
that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an
upstairs room. 38 Lydda
was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda,
they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived
he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and
showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was
still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of
the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the
dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat
up. 41 He took her by the hand and
helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and
presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over
Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter
stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
As I
read this scripture I was once again reminded that God can do mighty things
through people who are willing to do His will.
Peter did not heal these people, the Lord healed them through Peter but
he had to be willing to go, take a chance and speak up. Today when people claim to be healers they
are laughed at and mocked rather than people coming to the Lord. In today’s society it seems that people come
to the Lord more through bad happenings rather than miracles. I wish we could see more miracles and less
trouble but what I wish more than anything is that the people would have open
ears and open hearts and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal
Savior.
God used
four people in this passage to announce His salvation to others. 1. Of
course Peter, who healed. 2. Aeneas, who was healed through the
willingness of Peter to do as God called him.
The results, many turned to the Lord.
3. Tabitha or Dorcas. Let’s look at her for a moment. She was always doing good and helping the
poor. It sounds like she was a
seamstress as well and used the talents that God gave her to help others. As I read this I thought of Mother Teresa, a
woman who devoted her life to serving the Lord by serving the poor. I would imagine she was much like Tabitha/Dorcas. This woman had touched lives long before
Peter raised her from the dead. The
impact of her death on those around her was great. Because of this, raising her from the dead
was something that would have had an even stronger impact. Yet if she would have just lived a life for
herself, her death would have only impacted her close friends and family and no
one would have heard of her resurrection.
4. Simon the tanner. Mentioned only briefly at the end of this
passage but still someone who used what God had given him to serve someone
else. Having a house guest can be
rewarding and challenging all at the same time.
I don’t know if Simon the tanner knew Peter from the past or just
welcomed him into his home but it doesn’t really matter, he did as God had instructed
him to do. He gave Peter, a servant of
Christ, a place to rest, a place to sleep and food to eat. We will find out later why this place was
significant as we read on in the scriptures.
We all
have talents and gifts but do we always use them to serve others, such as the
poor or for those who are called to serve Him through spreading the Gospel of
Jesus Christ? I know I fall short in
this area so many times. Life gets too
busy when we are too busy to take note of those hurting around us. We need to stop blaming the poor for being
poor, take the time to reach out to them and find out what their story is. Some may be just looking for a handout while
others may be hurting because of things out of their control. Some may be trying to dig themselves out
while others are satisfied taking from others.
It doesn’t really matter, we are called to take care of them and I know
for myself I have not done my part.
As you
seek Him today, be sure to listen to what He has to tell you. Go and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in
whatever way He has gifted you to do.
Seeking
Him with all m heart,
Sheila
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