P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We continue today looking at the miraculous healing of the lame man. Today though we, ourselves, answer the question that Peter poses to the crowd.
Together we will pray (P.R.A.Y.) each day – ‘P’: Pausing to be still as we come into the presence of the Lord. ‘R’: Rejoicing as we remember who our God is and what He has done, and Reflecting on His word. ‘A’: Asking God to help us and others. And ‘Y’: yielding to His will in accordance with His word.
As I come before you to pray, I still my thoughts and quiet my mind. I seek to make you the center of my focus.
Prayer of Approach
Lord, you are the God who hears, hear me now. You are the God who sees, see me now. You are the God who knows, know me at this moment. I enter your presence seeking a loving father, so open your arms wide and hold me close, allow me to feel the love you have for me during this time in your presence. Reveal what you have for me through your Word.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 125:
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 125:1-5
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Acts 3, where we read:
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
Acts 3:1-12
The temple was a popular place. The area at the temple mount where this down would have had large crowds moving past. It was a very public miracle and would have attracted many eyes. All the people who would have seen the previously lame man walking would have known exactly who he was. They only knew him as lame, but now he can walk. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what took place.
Peter saw or heard things though that made him address the crowd. Why the wonder and amazement? Why the staring? It seems they had yet to connect this miracle to the power of God. We see the lame man praising God, but no one else at this moment. Peter sees a Socratic teaching moment for the crowd then and for us today.
Wonder and amazement is a beautiful thing when it is directed at God and produces praise to God. Wonder and amazement though that wonders and is amazed that the natural world or man’s logic was thwarted is filled with doubt, not praise. We live in 2023 where the natural encompasses us. Logic is our friend. Anything that denies those two facets of our world is incomprehensible to us, so we question and doubt. Our theology says that the God who created everything can control everything, yet we doubt and question the miraculous. We are scared in many ways for it to happen, so we don’t seek or pray for it to happen. We allow ourselves to be content with the natural order of this world and we miss out on the more God has to offer to us.
The second obstacle that Peter questions is that we wonder if God could work through people like us because we assume and believe that it relies on us. Those miracles can only happen by our own power. When we pray to heal we get stuck on ourselves because we live in a world that applauds self-reliance as a virtue but that is not how the Holy Spirit works. Peter also reminds us that God’s movement is not based on our piety. It is not us checking the religious boxes and then making sure we pray the right prayer using the healing equation. It is about trust and faith in a God who heals because of his own power. It has nothing to do with us.
Lord, you are so good. You are powerful and miraculous. You have control over all things. Reveal to me where I doubt your power. Show me where I have thought wrongly about the truth that you heal.
1)Do I believe in the supernatural happening today? Why or why not?
2)Do I have faith that Jesus heals today? Why or why not?
3)Where do I believe that it is by my power or piety that Holy Spirit moves?
4)How can I practically live today differently because of this text?
Open your gates and step down, King of Glory. Show us your glory. Show us your mercy. Show us the freedom that you have for your people. Open our eyes to who you are and what you have for us. Pour out your Spirit. Wake us from our slumber and break us of the idols that we cling to. Draw us close to your all-consuming fire and let us burn for you and you alone.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
Acts 3:1-12
Yielding Prayer
Draw me close to you Jesus. Show me the errors in my thoughts and ways. Break me of my addiction to self-reliance. Show me that you move when and where you want to move and it is not based on my power or piety. Open my eyes to the supernatural world. Show me your power. Give me faith that says, “I have a God who heals.”
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Exodus 15:26:
…for I am the Lord, your healer.
Exodus 15:26
Closing Prayer
Lord, let me remind myself of the truth that you have heard my prayers today. You have not rejected me in any way, shape, or form. You have not withheld your love from me, but your unfailing love engulfs me. Let me cling to those truths as I go from here. No matter what my day holds, those truths will remain. Make my day an offering to you, the God who deserves it all.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.