OPINION —
Waiting has never been one of my strengths. Whether it’s sitting in traffic, standing in a long checkout line or waiting for answers to prayers I’ve carried for months, I have always preferred things to happen sooner rather than later. If I’m honest, there have been times I’ve wondered why God seemed to answer someone else’s prayer while mine remained unanswered. Most Christians have probably wrestled with those same thoughts at one time or another.
I imagine the lame man in Acts 3 knew something about waiting.
Luke tells us he had been lame from birth and was carried every day to the gate of the Temple called Beautiful where he begged from those entering to worship. Later, in Acts 4:22, we learn he was more than 40 years old. Think about what that means. For decades, he sat outside the Temple watching thousands of worshipers pass by. And during the life ministry of Jesus, he undoubtedly heard stories about Jesus, and on more than one or two occasions, probably even saw Jesus Himself both coming and going from the Temple grounds.
Jesus frequently taught in the Temple courts. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and made the lame walk. Crowds followed Him everywhere He went. It’s entirely possible that this man watched miracle after miracle unfold only a short distance away while wondering why nothing ever changed for him. Day after day, he remained at the gate. Day after day, he watched others receive what he longed for.
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever watched someone else’s prayer be answered while yours seemed to linger in silence? Have you ever wondered why God appeared to move so quickly in another person’s life while you continued to wait?
Then one ordinary afternoon everything changed.
Peter and John were simply on their way to the Temple to pray. The lame man wasn’t expecting healing. In fact, he wasn’t expecting much at all. He simply sat and asked for money because that’s what he had asked for every other day. But for both Peter and John, what started out as a walk to the Temple to pray, would soon turn into an encounter that changed lives. Peter looked at him and said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” In an instant, 40 years of waiting came to an end.
I’ve often wondered why Jesus hadn’t healed him years earlier. Certainly, He had the power. Certainly, He knew the man was there. Yet God chose a different moment. Why?
The answer is because this miracle was about so much more than one man’s legs. It became the catalyst for Peter’s sermon, which led to thousands hearing the Gospel. It resulted in Peter and John standing before the Sanhedrin declaring “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” A few chapters later Luke tells us that many of those very priests became obedient to the faith. What appeared to be a delayed miracle became part of a much greater story that only God could see from the beginning.
That doesn’t mean every delay in our lives has an explanation we’ll fully understand. Sometimes we simply don’t know why God chooses one moment instead of another. But Acts 3 reminds us that waiting is not the same thing as being forgotten.
God’s delays are not God’s denials. God’s delays are His perfect timing and understanding.
Looking back over my own life, I’ve realized that some of the prayers I wanted answered immediately were answered at exactly the right moment. Not according to my timetable, but according to God’s perfect understanding. Had they been answered when I wanted them answered I would have missed blessings I couldn’t see at the time. His perspective has always and always will be greater than mine.
So, if you’re in a season of waiting today, don’t mistake God’s silence for His absence. The God who knew exactly where that lame man sat for 40 years knows exactly where you are as well. And when His time is right, He has a way of accomplishing far more than we ever imagined.
