On the Way to Where You are Going

Scripture:

“One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘Look here.’ He looked up, expecting to get something from them. Peter said, ‘I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!’ He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.” Acts 3:1-8 (MSG)

Perspective:

If you are late for work, school, a meeting, or church, all that seems to matter is getting to the desired location. The faster you can get there, the better. It can be easy to overlook the woman alone in the foyer at church, the receptionist who is having a bad day, or the friend who is going through a difficult time at home.

Peter and John were basically headed to church. They probably didn’t have a lot of extra time to stop along the way. Yet, when the crippled man asked them for money, it caused them to pause. In the moment that they paused and turned their attention toward the man in need, Peter gave the crippled man something he didn’t ask for but desperately needed. The crippled man was asking for a handout, but he really needed healing and restoration. The crippled man received his miracle as Peter and John were on the way to where they were going. In life, we are always moving toward a target. We want to reach the destination and sometimes wouldn’t mind to forgo the journey. Yet, it can be difficult to arrive at our desired destination without stops along the way; the inconvenient stops might be God taking us on a different route so that we can bless people along the way. When we include people on our journey and experience their changed story, our story is changed for the better. God might have you on your current path to be a part of someone else’s miracle on the way to your destination. Instead of trying to take a shortcut to your destination, ask God to help you touch many lives on the way to where you are going.