Acts 3:8

Wednesday 2/1/12

Acts 3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God.

Interpretation:

     In this verse, there is one word that jumps off the page at me – or perhaps I should say it “leaps” off the page. In the previous verses, Peter had called on the name of the Lord for this man and reached down to lift him up. Now in verse eight, the focus shifts from what Peter did, to the man’s reply. The man didn’t pull back and stay down; he didn’t lean on Peter for support; he didn’t tremble as he got up; he didn’t even just stand up. No, this guy leaped up. He had such confidence and such joy that his ankles and feet were going to hold his weight. Now the question becomes, why did he have such full confidence in his feet and ankles – they never held his weight before?  What would make him think that he could just leap up on them instead of gradually and slowly letting them heal? As was the case with so many people that were healed by Jesus, this man had faith. As he heard Peter call on the name of the Lord, lift him up, and felt the strength returning, he believed that God completely healed him and he would be able to stand. And with that belief, his actions (leaping and praising God) followed. You see, if he had just walked away, he could have been thinking that the healing process was still happening in his feet and God didn’t completely heal him yet. But since he leaped – well, let’s just say you shouldn’t be leaping on a foot that is not completely healed yet.

     I’m ashamed to say that I’m not always like this man. God tells me to come to Him in prayer, I do, I ask Him to do a particular work in my heart, and then after I say “Amen,” I leave wondering how much God really did in answer to my prayer. I figure that maybe I should give it a day or two and maybe He’ll answer my prayer and change my heart down the road. Now I understand that sometimes what I ask in prayer might be a process or just not God’s timing, but here’s my point: many times, as a default after I pray, I naturally assume that God is going to have me wait a certain amount of time before He answers any particular prayer instead of realizing that maybe, with some prayers, He has given me the answer to my prayer and changed my heart right then and there. I leave my spot of prayer stumbling away, limping, or just walking as if the healing process is still occurring when at times, God has already answered my prayer immediately and given me the complete strength in my feet and ankles and I could be leaping away and praising God. How I wish I was like this lame man and would have the joy to leap away from my times of prayer believing that God – not would eventually – but has met my need at that very moment I prayed. There is no doubt in my mind that the lame beggar didn’t wonder if he would be able to stand then and there. He knew he would, and his leaping away showed he had the confidence that comes with believing that God had completely answered his lifelong prayer in a single moment.

Application:

     When I go to God in prayer, I know that the things I pray for might not be of God’s will or His timing. However, I need to believe that God is waiting and willing to hear me and give me every good thing I ask for. I will ask God that He will help me have faith when I pray so that I would believe that He hears me and will answer my prayers.