Throughout the Easter Season, the daily devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Annika Becker.
“Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.” Acts 5:12-16
Each year as the Houston Rodeo nears, there’s always a lot of excitement building up at our house as we plan which entertainer we want to see. The rule is that we all have to agree as a family. Sometimes it’s musicians we are familiar with, other times we end up with those we just know by reputation. Either way, it’s one of the few opportunities we have of seeing a celebrity perform “in real life.”
It is this kind of excitement and anticipation that I think about when I read these verses in Acts. I can see the people crowding around to see the apostles with the same eagerness. Some may be there out of hope, and others out of curiosity, but they all look for something from the experience. They were expecting “many signs and wonders” and they were not disappointed.
We see in verse 16 that the “sick and tormented by unclean spirits” were all miraculously cured. The healing done through the apostles was the attraction; the event that drew attention and gathered the crowd. More importantly, it served as an unmistakable demonstration of God’s healing power. A demonstration that was witnessed by many, who in turn will naturally want to share what they have seen with others so that “more than ever believers are added to the Lord.”
Let us pray: Dear God, we see your goodness all around us. Help us to be more willing to share this with others who may not yet see it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
May 9, 2018 at 1:55 am |
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