Come As Soon As Possible

There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, "Please come as soon as possible!" So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, "Get up, Tabitha." And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. Acts 9:36-42  

Peter—please come as soon as possible! Dorcas was so respected and revered in her community. And she should have been for helping the poor and doing kind things for others.. What a worker for the Lord. Sewing in those days must have been hard work—no electric sewing machines and consider that their fabrics were probably much courser than ours today, and the sewing needles may not have been as strong and sharp. Hmmm. Sounds like that lady had strong fingers and gumption. Gumption—there’s a word for you. Determination. Persistence. Dedication. Yes. All of the above. Now at Dorcas’ untimely death, her church family and community were missing her. Send for Peter. Surely he can help—Jesus raised people from the dead—he can, too. And so in prayer Peter did just that. Dorcas lived again. What a rejoicing they had—a great time of Thanksgiving. We may not have had such miraculous transformations in our lives—but we can all recognize how powerful prayer can be. Relationship and communication with God has not changed in the over 2000 years since Peter prayed. God still hears our prayers. Several times Jesus taught His disciples about prayer. This one below recorded in Mark deals with faith and doubt. No doubt for Peter when it came to raising Dorcas back to life.

Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." Mark 11:22-25 

No sin—no doubt. These are keys to good communication with God. Are you praying directly to God or expecting Peter to “come as soon as possible” to pray for you? 

Prayer ~ Jesus, forgive me for doubting the power of my prayers. I trust you with each of my family, friends and neighbors today that You will touch their lives—healing, strengthening, and protecting them, as well as helping them to make good decisions. 

Daily Bible Reading: Acts 9-10

© 2017 Text and Photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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