Message: The paralyzed man at the temple gate was in his usual place doing his usual thing, begging for money from those who were entering the temple. When Peter and John came along and saw him in his usual place they did something very unusual. What he received was very different from what he was asking for. What he was asking for was not wrong. It was a temporary solution for a bigger problem. He was paralyzed and unable to work so he needed money to sustain himself. There was no government disability system to support this man and his physical disability put him at the mercy of people. The miracle he received changed his life forever, but it also deeply impacted all of the people that had known him and his condition all of his life. This got me realizing that the things I ask for are usually temporary solutions for bigger problems. This is not to say that God doesn’t meet practical needs. It’s just a reminder that sometimes God doesn’t answer those prayers because he is after something much bigger. Miracles are for HIS glory and what he did in this man’s life not only brought glory to God, but it deeply impacted a whole community.
Command: Ask for the practical things, but be prepared for a life change.
Promise: God cares about our practical needs, but he gets the most glory in transforming lives.
Warning: If I get caught up in the regular routines, asking for the routine things I become pigeon holed in my thinking and I miss the bigger things God wants to accomplish in my life. Sure, God wants to meet my needs, but he wants so much more than that. He wants to transform my life in a way that impacts everyone around me!
Application: This reminds me that God has bigger plans in mind than just providing the next meal or the next need. He wants to transform my life and the lives around me because that is what impacts more people. A hole community was impacted after seeing what God did in one man. What does he want to transform in my life?
