“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
I have always found this verse intriguing, for in a way it stands apart in the Scriptures in regard to someone being healed. The Lord Jesus Christ healed more than we may ever know when He walked amongst us, in some cases we read that He healed all that were brought to Him, in others He asked them what they would have Him do for them, in some He said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole,” (Mark 5:34) but in every case I can recall, it was always faith that was involved with the healing.
Not so in the account of our opening verse here. Peter and John are on their way someplace, they see this man, a short conversation ensues, and the man is healed, with much praise after the fact, but not even a hint of faith in him before. Even those at the pool of Bethesda had faith that if they were the first in the water after the angel disturbed it, they would be healed, but nothing of this man’s life, faith or convictions are offered to us.
The reason for this account unfolds as we continue to read the context, God was again glorified through the words Peter spoke by the power of the Holy Spirit to the crowd, so in that respect, we can presume the man had faith in the Almighty, anything beyond that would be nothing more than conjecture from this poor writer of letters.
In much of the New Testament, you will read of many miracles, acts that only the Almighty could cause to occur, but these things do not happen as often today as some would have you to believe. Today we hear, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2nd Cor. 12:9)
We know the truth of 1 Corinthians 13:8, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” But there are still many out there whom we can easily discern as false teachers that would attempt to disavow these truths. They make quite a good living pretending to heal people, and sadly there are many thousands that they have beguiled.
“The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
The just live by pain, with frustrations, with grief and sorrow, and they rejoice in every bit of them.
Healing of the body is not the priority of their lives, that is not to say they do not request these things of the Lord, but they are not the priority of their prayers. Being faithful in the pain, in the trials and tribulations glorifies the Almighty greater than the healthy person in a sunny day can. The questions to Him are not why, but how, how can I serve you in submission to your will in these moments of anguish, how can I glorify you in the pain.
It is much more than just the knowledge of the truth that one day there will be no more pain, no more suffering, it is the realization that if you are serving Him, everything that happens in your life is by His design and for His glory.
“Yes, I know Luke, some rest would be nice, but I am called to serve, so be the good doctor that you are, put some more salve on those cuts from the whip, and let us be on our way.”
And then Paul might have said, “Let me write this down first though.” “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13)
My friends, this is a truth. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2nd Tim. 3:12) Those persecutions temper us, they refine us, they make us fit for use in the Master’s hands. That man that Peter and John met had faith, and he was healed. If you are not healed, will your faith continue to grow?
