Raised To Life

RAISED TO LIFE

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.

The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda. There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!” And he was healed instantly. Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.

There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”

So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.

The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.

Luke wrote the stories of Aeneas’s healing and Tabitha’s resurrection in such an understated way that it almost requires a double take. A man paralyzed for eight years could now walk, and a woman who was dead was raised to life! We know little about Tabitha—only that she was dedicated to the poor—and even less about Aeneas. They seem to have been people going about their lives in quietude—perhaps just like us—until the supernatural happened.

• Read this passage again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• Reflect on whether there is a part of your work, service, or identity that seems to be constantly overlooked by those around you or whose opinion and encouragement matters to you. How does it feel to be unseen or overlooked?
• Who came to mind when you read the stories of Aeneas and Tabitha? Someone with a chronic illness or disability? Someone who serves faithfully and without fanfare? How could you affirm or notice that person?

Father, thank you that you see me and that nothing I do goes unnoticed in your eyes. Fill me with a desire to serve the poor and extend kindness. Help me to remain faithful whether or not what I do or who I am is celebrated, affirmed, or noticed. Open my eyes to those around me, and use me to affirm the good works and faithfulness of others. May the faithful feel your favor and blessing. Amen.