Showing Up Expectant
Acts 3:1 tells us Peter and John “went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service” (NIV). They never neglected the corporate gathering. This was their normal routine—they were showing up expectant.
At the temple gate called Beautiful sat a man who’d been lame for forty years. Forty years of begging. Can you imagine?
Look at Me
When the beggar asked for money, Peter and John did something unusual—they looked at him intently. Acts 3:4 says, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!'” (NIV)
I try to look past beggars sometimes because I don’t want to make eye contact when I don’t have anything to give. But Peter and John were making intentional eye contact. This wasn’t just a glance—this was “I see you.”
The man looked at them eagerly, expecting money. He thought he knew what he needed.
But then Peter said something incredible in verse 6: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (NIV).
We Have Greater
Church, we have greater in us than what people actually need. They might think they know what they need, but what they truly need is relationship with Jesus.
Peter and John didn’t let what they didn’t have stop them from giving what they did have. And what they had was the power of the resurrected Christ.
Acts 3:7 tells us Peter “took him by the right hand and helped him up” (NIV). Don’t miss this—we can help people with our words AND with our actions. We speak over people and declare what God has for them, but we also take them by the hand and help them stand up.
Walking, Leaping, and Praising God
Acts 3:8 says: “He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God” (NIV).
When’s the last time you saw somebody leaping? You don’t skip if you’re not okay. This man wasn’t just physically healed—he was emotionally and spiritually healed too.
Everything about this man’s life changed in an instant.
Why This Day?
If this man had been at the Beautiful Gate for forty years, surely Peter and John had passed by him before. So why this day? Why not yesterday?
I don’t know. Scripture doesn’t say.
But what I believe is that every single person reading this will have a “that day” moment. God wants you to show up expecting—not only that He’s going to use you, but that He’s going to show up for your need as well.
My Mom’s Story
My mom has been in a wheelchair for twenty-five years. About a year ago, she walked about forty steps. There was a man of God who believed like Peter and John. He looked at her and said, “Get up and walk.” And she did it.
I was flabbergasted. I haven’t seen my mom walk in twenty-five years. She hasn’t walked since then, but I still praise God for that day.
Isn’t that the life of faith? It’s a journey, and I’m here for it.
Through Faith in the Name of Jesus
Here’s what I consider the most important verse of this passage. Acts 3:16 says: “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see” (NIV).
It wasn’t Peter’s power or John’s ability. It was their faith in Jesus.
Luke includes this detail: “as you can all see.” You know how bad it was. You know how crippled he was. You know how awful your situation is.
But faith in Jesus’s name healed him before their very eyes.
A Specific Invitation
Who are you going to invite to church next Sunday? Not a casual “anytime” invitation—a specific one with a date and time.
The kind of invitation that says, “I’m expectant for what God’s going to do.”
Been With Jesus
Acts 4:13 says people recognized Peter and John as “unschooled, ordinary men” who “had been with Jesus” (NIV).
Isn’t that the cry of your heart? That people would look at you and say, “They’ve clearly been with Jesus”?
When you’ve been with Jesus, chains start falling off other people. You start walking by them, speaking to them, praying over them, inviting them to be part of the body of God. And all of a sudden, chains start breaking.
Perhaps Today Is That Day
There’s something about faith in the name of Jesus. Faith that says, “Surely this man had asked before. But on that day, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Look at that man. Pray for that man.’ And that day changed everything.”
Perhaps today is that day for you.
Show up expectant. Believe again. Look at people—really see them—and be willing to pray, “In the name of Jesus, get up and walk.”
Because you never know—today might just be that day.
Want more encouragement? Follow Sara’s daily devotionals on Instagram @saraforhetz or tune in weekdays 6-10 AM on 88.3 The Wind.
