Wake Us Up
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:40-43)
Throughout Acts 9 we see that after Jesus' resurrection, God's power continued to turn the world upside down - defying expectations, shifting paradigms. Saul's transformation had been so sudden and so thorough that many did not believe him or trust him, and those who did had to repeatedly move and hide Saul to keep him from being killed. Meanwhile, Peter - the disciple who had denied Jesus three times after swearing that he would die with Jesus - was now healing people with the power of God just as Jesus had. Peter first healed a paralyzed man, Aeneas, by simply speaking, causing everyone who lived in that town to turn to the Lord. Then Peter was summoned to the nearby town of Joppa where a disciple named Tabitha had died. Though it was uncommon for an unmarried woman to be honored, Tabitha was revered for her service with and for widows, and for the garments she made. Peter went immediately and was greeted by her beloved friends who, though grieving, showed him with pride the things Tabitha had made. After clearing the room, Peter prayed, and Tabitha's life was restored. Peter took her by the hand and presented her to her community, and again many came to believe in the Lord.
Although we don't always recognize it, the power of God continues to upend our expectations and exceed our understanding. In the book "Trauma Room Two" by Dr. Philip Aleen Green, an emergency room doctor details some of his experiences working in a rural ER. In one of those stories, a beat-up car screeched to a stop at the door of the ER, and a woman, who appeared to be a clear user of the drug meth, rushed in carrying a lifeless baby. The doctor took the baby and ran with the woman following close behind him. As the trauma nurse on duty began the delicate chest compressions, the doctor asked the woman what had happened, but she only kept repeating that she didn't know. When the doctor examined the baby's airway, he saw a tiny bead lodged there. Using the smallest tool for the job, the doctor was able to remove the bead. After a brief moment the baby let out a glorious wail. Just then another woman - wearing a beaded apron from a local restaurant - came running in, crying joyful tears and exclaiming with gratitude that her baby was alive. The mother had gotten locked out of her car when her baby was in distress. The other woman saw the urgent situation and leapt from the over-crowded jalopy in which she was a passenger, grabbed the baby, and the car took off for the hospital - returning to retrieve the mother after dropping
the woman and child at the emergency room door.
In current times, as in biblical times, God turns the hated, traitorous, disconnected, and unlikely into the faithful, healers, restorers, and heroes. May God wake us up to see the miracles within and around us, and open our eyes to view one another through a gracious lens.
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
(Revelation 7:13-17)
