Wildflowers: Week One / Dorcas the DaisySýnishorn

Dorcas Dies

According to Norse mythology, daisies represented a new beginning since they are harbingers of spring after a dark, dormant winter. Following our analogy, Dorcas suffered a dark night of the soul when she "became sick and died" (Acts 9:37). I take comfort that even stellar Christians, the disciples that I admire most also face difficulties. When I was diagnosed with stage three endometrial cancer, my treatment led to really bad days. The Bible doesn't sugarcoat the real suffering saints may endure and Dorcas suffered her fair share.

But here is the good news: before every resurrection comes a death. For Dorcas, like Lazarus, this death was physical. But for others, the death may be metaphorical. Perhaps it's the death of a career, the end of a marriage, or the demise of a treasured dream. Cancer for me was the end of fertility. I would no longer possess the ability to bear children. I lost the greatest female trait of all—the ability to give birth. But God promised that although I would never have another biological child, He would give me spiritual children in abundance.

Let's look at that time between death and resurrection. Living in this in-between takes faith, loads of it. Why? Because you're dead. Or someone or something you love has died. There is nothing you can do to spring the dead back to life. The empty womb longs to be filled. The hollow heart aches for its other half. The mind once full of dreams envisions only nightmares. During the in-between, we need what Dorcas had: good friends. People who can see a bright future and who know the best is yet to come.

Her friends did several things. First, they washed her. Of course, that meant ritually. But I believe it was also emotionally as they bathed her in tears as "all the widows stood by...weeping" (Acts 9:39). They valued her life by mourning her loss. Paul spoke of washing people in the Word: "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians 5:25-26, NIV). Make sure to bathe people in your tears, your prayers, and the Word of God.

The next thing these ladies did was to lay Dorcas in an upper room. Isn't that place rich with meaning? Jesus met with His disciples in an upper room to share His Last Supper. And the apostles were praying in an upper room when Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection. The upper room will always represent intimacy with Jesus to me. And I marvel that the friends of Dorcas honored her by putting her in a sacred place.

Read the verses below and answer the following questions:

"But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them" (Acts 9:37-38).

Practical Observation

1. What happened to Tabitha?

2. How was she cared for? Who do you think tended to her needs?

Washed describes a lovely ritual Jews performed for the dead. The washing here was likely performed by the widows, the friends of Dorcas. The ones who knew her best loved her most through this tender care. This washing focused on the hands, feet, and face.

3. Who was visiting in nearby Lydda, and why is this significant?

4. Who was sent to Peter, and what titles were they given?

5. How did they make their request to Peter and why?

Imploring is more intense than mere asking. It holds the idea of pleading or begging with deep concern. The friends of Dorcas weren't willing to take no for an answer. Peter was more than willing to fulfill their earnest request by immediately departing.

Personal Application

a. Have you experienced disease, darkness, or the death of someone or something you loved? How did God help you during this season?

b. There are circumstances that create a before and after in our lives. What does that look like in your life? What happened during the in-between? 

c. Read Romans 8:38-39, then make a list of the forces mentioned in the text. Can any of these entities separate you from the love of God? Write a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for His faithfulness.