The Bible doesn’t tell us how long the disabled man in Acts 3 had sat begging at the temple gate, but we do know it was a daily occurrence. When he asked Peter and John for money, he probably hoped that they would give him a few coins. But then Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!’ (Acts 3:6 NLT). Here’s what happened next: ‘He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them’ (v.8 NKJV). One thing we can learn from this story is that God works in His own time, and knows the right time to move. If we’re not spiritually attuned, we can miss the move of God in our lives and forfeit what He has for us. So we need to learn to live in expectation. We need to believe that miracles can happen, and then expect them to happen. The enemy will try to keep us so preoccupied, cynical, and hopeless that when God sends the answer to a prayer, we won’t recognise it and claim it. Jesus said: ‘You will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name…Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy’ (John 16:23-24 NLT). The beggar probably experienced rejection, and many people must have ignored his pleas for help, in all the days he sat at the Temple gate. But he persisted and asked expectantly, and through that, God blessed him more than he could have imagined. So let’s also ask God expectantly, and be ready to receive His blessing.

What Now?

Have you been waiting for God to answer a prayer? Today, try to set aside any disappointment or cynicism that you might be feeling about it, and choose to wait expectantly and hopefully for God to answer.