Read: Acts 3:1-10
I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. (v. 6)
The man had never been able to walk. Every day, he relied on other people to carry him to and from the Beautiful Gate, and the generosity, or the pity, of people coming into the temple. When he asked Peter and John for money, they instead looked at him. And they invited him to meet their eyes. The man fixed his gaze on them and they beheld one another, not as helper and helped, but as people.
But Peter’s next words were shocking: “Rise up and walk!” (v. 6). He took the man’s hand and helped him to stand! This man, who for years had sat outside of the temple asking for a pittance, this time leapt into the temple, worshipping and praising the God who had made him walk.
Today with Peter and John, we discover that the power of the Holy Spirit enables Jesus’ followers to do the things that Jesus did. Not only did Peter and John have power to heal the man’s legs, but they also had the wisdom to recognize that the man needed deeper healing and restoration. Beyond helping him walk, they also looked and spoke to him as a person, and then invited him to attend the temple with them—offering emotional healing and social restoration. They saw the man as a whole person, like Jesus does.
The Spirit moves powerfully to heal and restore people—physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. —Amy Curran
As you pray, ask God for healing and restoration in your own life.
About the Author
Amy Curran is a gardener, a reader, a runner, and an avid coffee drinker. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, where she runs a community garden and a farm-to-table café for Reality Ministries.
