It was three in the afternoon, the hour of prayer. Peter and John were walking up to the temple, as they often did. At the gate called Beautiful sat a man who had been lame from birth. For more than forty years he had been carried there every day to beg. Hundreds of worshipers passed him without a second look. On this ordinary afternoon, two praying men stopped. This short story shows us how God uses ordinary believers, ordinary routines and the name of Jesus to change a life.
They Stopped and Looked
The lame man asked Peter and John for money, as he asked everyone. But Peter fastened his eyes on him, with John, and said, Look on us. That is a powerful moment. Most people looked away from this man. Peter looked right at him. Jesus did the same thing often. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion because they were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). Love begins with seeing. James warns us that kind words without real care do nothing for a person who is cold and hungry (James 2:15-16). The man at the gate was near the house of God, but no one had brought him in. Some people we pass every week are like that. They sit close to church but outside of grace.
Who is someone you usually walk past without really seeing, and how will you stop and give them your full attention this week?
In the Name of Jesus
Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee. Then he commanded the man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Peter took him by the right hand, and at once his feet and ankle bones received strength. Peter did not have money, but he had something far better. The power was not in Peter but in the name of Jesus, the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9-10). Jesus had promised that whatever His disciples asked in His name, He would do (John 14:13-14). We often think we have nothing to offer because we lack money, degrees or titles. Yet God has placed His treasure in earthen vessels like us, so the glory goes to Him (2 Corinthians 4:7).
What do you actually have, a skill, a testimony, a prayer, or time, that you will offer to someone in Jesus’ name this week?
Walking, Leaping, Praising
The man did not just stand up quietly. He leaped up, stood, walked, and went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. Centuries earlier, Isaiah had said that in the day of God’s salvation the lame man would leap as an hart (Isaiah 35:6). Now the people saw it with their own eyes. They knew this was the same man who used to sit and beg, and they were filled with wonder. A changed life is a loud sermon. The healed man went straight to worship. He did not forget who had touched him. Like the one leper who came back to thank Jesus (Luke 17:15-16), he gave God the glory. Our own testimonies should lead us to praise and lead others to ask what God has done (Psalm 103:1-2).
What is one thing God has done for you that you have not yet thanked Him for publicly, and where will you share it this week?
Conclusion
Peter and John were on their way to prayer when God interrupted their routine. They saw a man others ignored, gave him what they had in Jesus’ name, and watched him walk into the temple praising God. The real hero of this story is Jesus. His name still has power, and His love still reaches the people sitting just outside the door. You may not have silver or gold, but if you know Him, you have something to give.
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