Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Acts 3 before reading the devotional below.
One of the most powerful human connections is eye contact. In this chapter of Acts, it is the catalyst to healing. Living in New England, eye contact is often avoided when passing someone on the street. In those moments when I catch someone’s eye, it always seems as if our souls are somehow communicating. You can see deeper into a person when you look into their eyes.
Peter gives an outcast dignity by demanding his eye contact. It almost seems as if he is sizing up what kind of miracle might be possible in the moment. And as the man is doing the most well-deserved victory dance of all time, a crowd gathers around Peter and John. What was once foolish brashness is now emboldened preaching, and Peter steps up to speak to the crowd. His message: this kind of miracle is regular, everyday stuff with Jesus, and even if you rejected him before it’s not too late now.
Miracles aren’t just possible, they are ordinary in God’s kingdom. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some significant spiritual warfare to fight through on earth, especially after 2,000 post-Jesus years of battles raging over kingdom territory. But just because there is a lot we don’t understand doesn’t mean we should give up. My home is a place in which miracles are normal. Healing is every day. Hope is running round the clock and love cascades like waterfalls. I will fight every battle placed in my path to get there someday (and bring as many friends with me as will come along).