Acts 3:11–26

Be still: Lord help me cut out the distractions of the world to encounter to you in your Word. Amen

Read: Acts 3:11–26

Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (v12)

Encounter: During the 2020 lockdowns, I helped lead prayer sessions on Instagram for my church. They were chaotic and holy and what God did surprised us.

One day I had a prophetic sense for someone called Naomi, who had just started teaching. I felt God wanted to affirm her in this vocation. To my amazement, someone responded. Two weeks later, someone pointed Naomi out at church. In youthful arrogance, assuming she would want to thank me, I made my way over.

'Naomi!' I chirped. 'How’s the new job going?'

She looked slightly shocked (I assumed she was starstruck) and hesitantly told me it was going well. After a few minutes talking, she asked, 'Anyway, who are you?'

It was humbling!

In this passage, God performs the first recorded miracle in the book of Acts, and he does it through Peter. It happened as Peter was going about his everyday life remaining open to the possibility that God wanted to use him. Peter stepped out and God showed up. Astonished the crowds turned to Peter.

It would have been so easy to bask in the glory of the moment. Yet Peter seemed to understand what I didn’t: the spotlight is always supposed to shine on God, and if you stand in it, you are exposed! It’s humiliating! 

Peter directs all the glory to God. Tomorrow we will see that many put their faith in Jesus as a result.

The encouragement is that God can turn mundane moments into miraculous ones. When we exercise faith, God can do remarkable things through us. The challenge is to remember it was God who did it, and to point people back to him, that others may be drawn into his life.

Apply: Think through the day to come and ask God where he might desire to use you.

Devote: God, thank you that you desire to work through me today. May I be sensitive to your leading, bold to respond, and humble enough to give you all the glory when you show up.