Peter and John looked at [the lame man] intently, and Peter said, "Look at us!" The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But 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!"
The man who had been lame since birth was hoping for a few coins. What he received was the attention of two men of faith who believed Jesus could do more for this man than any amount of money could. They brought the power and presence of Jesus to bear on the man's situation. They believed the
Lord Jesus could and would act powerfully in that moment just as he had when he was on the earth. Do we still believe in Jesus' power and presence when we pray in his name? I know that Jesus has dramatically answered some of my prayers for healing and deliverance in the lives of others. On other occasions, my prayers have not been so immediately or observably answered in the way I had hoped. I am not sure why the immediate results are different at different times other than the different loving choices of our sovereign God. I do know, however, that we are challenged to pray and expect God to work through the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, our Savior and
Lord (
James 5:13-18). Let's recognize that we can bring the power and presence of the
Lord into our worst situations by praying in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene!
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