Boom: Blessings, Opportunities, Outpouring & MiraclesSample

OPPORTUNITY

Expect the Unexpected.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT

In this well-known passage above, we are encouraged to live a life that ‘makes the most of every opportunity!’ In Acts 3, we see the Apostles Peter and John heading to the Temple, probably to pray and ponder all that God had done amongst them, when suddenly an opportunity arises.

ANTICIPATION MAKES AWAY

For three years, they followed Jesus. Eating, Drinking, walking, teaching, watching Him preach, heal and proclaim. In light of His resurrection, they were beginning to catch onto something. The Kingdom of God had come, and they were invited to participate! I hope you can sense the anticipation they must have had with every moment. Expectant. Eager. On the lookout.

So naturally, how do Peter and John respond to this plea for help? Do they turn a blind eye? Do they let their plans for the day, time for prayer, and worship in the temple, get superseded by the opportunity in front of them?

Of course, they respond by embracing the opportunity in front of them. They stop, listening to the request from the lame man, and then they almost seem to ignore his immediate request. He asks for money, but they have something greater to offer. Their faith has been fuelled, and a request for simple finances erupts into a display of great power.

Maybe for the years leading up to this encounter, the lame man had requested healing, bathing in the pools and hoping something might stir. And perhaps after years of silence, this man had adjusted his request to something more ‘realistic,’ something more tangible and accessible.

Can you imagine what this man experienced as Peter and John lifted him? He was fuelled by the lean-in and language of faith from the apostles. This expectancy was contagious and spreading.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

We see in Peter and John’s newfound confidence an ability to step out and act with faith in the power of Jesus’ name. They allowed what could have been an inconvenience to be an opportunity to display the power of God at work. They saw an opportunity.

What would it take for you to accept the next interruption as an opportunity? What would it look like to approach the coming day with an expectation that God was active and ready to move in power?

As disciples, we are called to look for opportunities. To expect God to move within the everyday, normal moments.

1. How often do we recognize the opportunity for miracles in our daily life?