Times Of Refreshing

TIMES OF REFRESHING

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! . . .

Peter . . . addressed the crowd. . . . “What is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? . . . [God] has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate. . . . You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed. . . . Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

“Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

It’s easy to read the story of the healed beggar and consider it irrelevant other than as something amazing that happened long ago. We may even wonder if such healings still occur in our day. Moments after the lame man began to walk, though, Peter immediately shifted the onlookers’ attention away from the man and toward Jesus, wanting them to realize that the man’s physical healing was just a glimpse of what is to come for all who believe. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, anyone who turns to God will be restored to wholeness in body, mind, and soul when Jesus returns and God’s Kingdom is fully realized.

• 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 the word broken. What comes to mind? What in your life is broken? What would healing and wholeness look like? What would healing enable for you?
• How has God used what’s broken in you for good, whether in your life or someone else’s?

Father, thank you for the promise that through Jesus and because of your goodness and mercy, there will be a day when every broken part of me will be made whole again. I pray for patience and grace in the meantime. Use my weaknesses for your purposes. Allow my life to reflect the hope I have in you and point people to the only source for redemption, restoration, and refreshment. Amen.