Pastor Aaron Olinski

He was brought to the same spot every single day. A man crippled from birth, set beside the temple gate called Beautiful, doing the only thing he knew to do: beg. Maybe he had a little cup with some coins he would shake to get people's attention, or maybe he just called out to anyone passing by. Whatever it looked like, this was his routine. Day after day, the same place, the same request. And if we are honest, many of us know what it feels like to be stuck in a routine so deep it starts to feel like that is just how life is always going to be.

Stuck in the Mundane

In Acts 3, we find this man doing what he always did. He saw Peter and John approaching the temple for the 3:00 prayer service, and he asked them for money. That is it. He was not expecting anything extraordinary. He was just hoping for enough to get by.

And that is where so many of us live. We get up early, make sure we have our coffee, get the kids ready, pack their lunches, drive to work, sit in traffic, work with the same group of people on the same projects, come home, make dinner, do the dishes, and crash. Then we wake up and do it all over again. Day after day, the same routine, the same rhythm. It can become mundane, and in the mundane, our expectations of God shrink.

Maybe we have gotten too self-sufficient. Maybe we have pushed God to the margins and started relying only on what we have and what we can control. Or maybe we are just not desperate for a miracle anymore. Sometimes we are so locked into our routine that we stop looking up long enough to ask God for something bigger than spare change.

Something Bigger Than Spare Change

Peter and John were coming off of Pentecost. They had experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They had witnessed signs, wonders, and miracles. And when this man asked them for money, Peter said something bold: "I don't have any silver or gold, but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk" (Acts 3:6).

That is a bold declaration. This was not human confidence; this was the inspiration of the Holy Spirit working through them. Peter and John had followed Jesus for years. They had watched Him perform miracles. They had been sent out to towns and villages where they themselves cast out demons, laid hands on people, and saw signs and wonders take place. Now, after Jesus rose from the dead, they were leading this great move of God as two of the main leaders of the early Church.

But this man, crippled from birth, just wanted some money. And that is completely understandable. That was normal for him. But if we take that and apply it to our own lives, sometimes our expectations of God are too low. We are just looking for something small, something that might help us out a little bit, when God wants to do something that changes everything.

Does God Still Heal?

When we talk about God being our Healer, we do not always know when He is going to show up in a powerful way. We cannot make Him do that. But we do know that He shows up in power and authority, and it is our responsibility to be ready, to carry an expectation and an anticipation that God can move at any moment.

Many times when we think about God's power, we focus on being the ones who receive it. We want the miracle. We want the healing. But following Christ is not all about us. It is actually about other people. We need to recognize the opportunities God gives us to be a vessel, a mechanism to bring healing to someone else.

The Gift of Healing

Some people have the gift of healing. It is a supernatural, spiritual gift that God places inside of His people. And some who have it are allowing it to remain dormant. They are not making bold declarations. They are not stepping out in faith to pray over others.

The challenge is this: identify whether you have that gift, take steps forward, trust God to do something amazing, and be bold enough to pray over people. You never know when He is going to do something incredible, because healing comes by grace through faith, and that is what we hope for, for every single one of us.

When God Regenerates What Was Broken

Acts 3:7-8 says, "Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand, and he helped him up. As he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the temple with them."

This is incredible. Peter grabs him, pulls him up, and this man's legs literally regenerate. God does a miracle inside this man's body, and everyone sees it. It is undeniable. This man had only ever watched other people walk. He had never taken a single step on his own.

You have to wonder, were his legs a little wobbly at first? Kind of like a baby antelope born on the plains of the Serengeti, legs shaking, trying to figure out how to stand. But that little antelope has to learn to run fast because there are cheetahs and lions watching. And this man, Scripture says, went from standing to walking to leaping. Only by faith in Jesus, only by faith in God as our Healer, could that man's legs be healed and regenerated.

Praying for a Miracle

Maybe you are facing a situation right now where you are crying out for a miracle. You are desperate for God to move. Maybe you have a cancer diagnosis, a tumor, and you are wondering what is going to happen. Maybe you are praying about surgery or therapy, and just maybe, God might heal and restore you.

One little girl shared a note with me that said, "My friend had cancer for six years, and I prayed for her every day. And one day she came to my grandma's house and said, 'I'm cancer free.'" Sometimes things like that happen, and it is amazing and encouraging.

Maybe you have had a lifelong disability like the man in Acts 3. Maybe you are praying and begging for a family member right now. Whatever your situation, we have to have faith that God can work a miracle. He is still our Healer. He still moves in power. And He is still looking for people bold enough to believe it.