The book of Acts, chapter 3, tells us of a time when Peter and John ran across a beggar in front of the temple. The guy was crippled. Peter called to him and said "Look at us." The beggar turned toward them "expecting to receive something" - money, of course. Peter declared to him, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." Then he took him by the hand, pulled him up onto his feet and the man walked and leaped for joy, shouting praises to God.
God used this passage several years ago to open my eyes to a new understanding - a revelation - about how I am supposed to live and pray. If I had been Peter in this story, my prayer for this man would've probably been something like this: "Lord, if it is your will, I ask that you heal this man." And then I probably would've trailed off into some sort of vague prayer about blessings and God drawing close to him. I did have faith that God heals, but yet I felt I was missing something because I never really saw results.
One day, when I was meditating on this scripture, God opened my eyes and I felt I truly read the story properly for the first time. It was so obvious, but yet I couldn't see it until my presuppositions were stripped away. No where in this passage is a prayer to God uttered. He is not addressed directly and He is not petitioned for His help. Peter knew that he had something on the inside already. Look at his statement: "What I have I give to you". He was addressing the man, not God, and he was saying he had something already that could change the man. What did he have?
Number 1) He had a revelation of healing. He had seen Jesus do it. He had done it himself before when Jesus sent them out two-by-two. He knew that God desired to heal.
Number 2) He had the Holy Spirit. Pentecost had just happened. The Spirit was poured out like never before. Jesus told him He would send a helper.
Number 3) He had a revelation of his responsibility to obey Jesus' command to "Follow me."
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that Peter did all the healing and God had nothing to do with it. Far from it. Peter was simply walking in partnership with the Holy Spirit and being a vessel, an ambassador. In that moment, he knew that God desired for that particular man to be healed. Once he knew this, he simply had to declare it as truth and watch it happen.
I wonder how many times Jesus walked by this man, whom the scriptures say was "laid daily at the gate of the temple"? Surely He had seem him there begging. Was He being callous to this man? I think not. Jesus, ever obedient to the Father, knew it wasn't the proper time. But when Peter and John came along, God was ready and had orchestrated together just the right mix of people at just the right time. So when the power of God was released and the man was healed, it resulted in the gospel being preached and hundreds, if not thousands, coming to Christ (Acts 4:4).
It is not enough that we have the correct doctrine, we must also have the agreement of heaven.
