Sometimes with our limited sight, we ask for what we think we need or what will allow us to scrape by. The crippled beggar in Acts 3 asked Peter and John for a bit of money just to get by for a day, but God had something radically bigger in store. In God’s divine kindness and wisdom, He knew that what that man needed was not just one more meal, but complete healing that would affect the rest of his life and, consequently, his next meal, and the one after that and the one after that. In fact, it would not only affect his meals, but the lives of his family that he could then provide for. He would even be able to join society and worship in the Temple.
Acts 3:7: “Taking him by the hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”
Peter’s response is excellent:
Acts 3:12-13,16,19: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.
It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as can all see.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
This beggar had been scraping by his whole life. That was the life he was used to, and so that was all he dared ask for. But God offered him something beyond his wildest imagination—complete healing. That’s the kind of God we serve.
How many times do we cry out for the thing that will allow us to scrape by when maybe God has something bigger, broader, more life-altering than we could imagine available instead? However God responds to our cry, be it with a meal or a total healing, the truth stands: He is good, He knows our struggles, and He is healer.