32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
- Acts 9:32-43
In today’s passage, we read about two miracles/healings. We read about the miracles where God used Peter to heal Aeneas and Dorcas. Two themes that stuck out to me was how God used Peter to heal his people and how these events made other people who heard and saw them turn to Him.
Luke, the author of Acts, wrote that in both instances, people believed after they saw the miracles. After Peter healed Aeneas, all those who lived in that area saw it and turned to the Lord (verse 35). Similarly, after Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas) - “this became known all over Joppa and many people believed in the Lord” (verse 42). We see here that Luke wanted to show us that these events happened so that people may believe. Aeneas and Dorcas were great testimonies of the gospel and because people saw and heard, they came to believe in our Lord. It shows how powerful our Lord is and how He uses these events to bring the gospel to everyone and transforms lives.
We also see here that God used Peter to perform a miracle and heal. In verse 34, Peter said to Aeneas “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” He said Jesus heals - it is Jesus who saved and healed Aeneas and not Peter. Peter also prayed for Dorcas before she was raised from the dead. He was completely reliant on God for these miracles. God can use us as his instrument to bring his good news to other people. We are also called to pray for our brothers and sisters just as Peter prayed for Dorcas. But we have to remember that it is not us who saves and changes our friends but rather it is God who saves and transforms people.
Though we might not be physically paralyzed or dead, we too need healing. Our spiritual life and our relationship with God is not always perfect. We sometimes have that moment of desolation when we feel that we are far away from God and we feel like we’re stuck and paralyzed. And so God can come in our lives and heal us. He also uses other people to help us get out of a dark hole and reveal himself to us just as he used Peter to heal Aeneas and Dorcas.
What area in your life do you need spiritual healing and who is someone that God used to help you?
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