Written January 27, 2017 by Byron Wicker
“Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts” (Acts 3:2).
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
It has been a mystery to me why this man had not already been healed by Jesus. Evidently, for years he had been brought to the temple. Jesus likely saw him there on other occasions, but never healed him. This tells me that God has His time for those defining moments. Until His time comes, things go on pretty much as usual. But when it is God’s time, things happen and happen suddenly. I will never forget one of those defining times in my life. Years ago, I was in a worship service and happened to be seated next to Bob Jones. He explained to me what he perceived the Holy Spirit was doing during the service. As we talked, a small white feather floated down from above in front of me and landed at my feet. Bob picked it up and looked at me and said, “It’s your time!” I went home with an upgrade regarding revelatory dreams and visions. I look back and see the trajectory of my life and ministry changed after that evening.
This year will be marked by defining moments for a lot of people. But, right now, like the lame man, you may be just trudging through the ordinary routine of life, doing the best with what you have. You’ve hoped for a breakthrough. You’ve done all the right things, prayed, contended, and walked faithfully, but nothing has changed. You are tired of trying and always winding up in disappointment. So, in your heart, you have settled and accepted the way things are. You may have even put together a good sounding biblical explanation for your life’s situation.
You might be expecting more of the same, but God has a different plan. A strategic day came in the lame man’s life; Peter and John came by, and he asked them for money. When Peter said, “Look at us!” the man expected the ordinary, but this day was different. God showed up and did something out of the ordinary. The man was waiting for another handout, but God said, in effect, “I’m not going to give you a handout. I am going to give you My hand and lift you up into a breakthrough.”
At that moment, Peter took the man by the hand and helped him to his feet and the power of God flowed into him and his life was never the same. God is going to do the same for you. God is going to speak an Ephesian 3:20 word over you, your family and your situations. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God is opening a door into a defining moment, a time of answering prayer. It is your time. Things are going to turn for the good. God is going to reveal His goodness. King David declared, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). God is downloading this same confidence in your heart. The knowledge of God, of who He is and what He does, of His goodness, will be revealed to you. It will change the trajectory of your life.
Many Blessings, BW