3:11 Now as the lame
man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to
them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter
saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this?
Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had
made this man walk?"
God woke me up this morning with a song as He often does.
Today it was "Abide with me, fast falls the eventide, the darkness
deepens, Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of
the helpless O abide with me."
Then this line came to me over and over:
"I need your presence every passing hour. What but your
grace can foil the tempter's power?"
His presence and His grace foil the tempter's power...
Then I read in Acts starting from the beginning of chapter
three and ending with the verses quoted above. It seems He gave me the song to
prepare me for His Word.
Peter. This is Peter. The people see a crippled man now
leaping and praising God and clinging to Peter. In that man's eyes Peter is a
hero. Peter is his hero. But that man doesn't know what Peter knows. Peter
knows he is far from anyone's hero. So before the man or the crowd gets carried
away by hero worship Peter states the facts as they are: "Why do you
marvel at this? Why do you look so intently at us as though by our own power or
godliness we made this man walk?" The man and the crowd may have had
delusions about Peter's greatness. At one point so did he but that was before
the cross. That was before the courtyard, the charcoal fire, and the questions.
We judge quickly don't we? Peter judged himself loyal and
strong. Then after falling and failing so miserably and completely only hours
after being told he would, he judged himself worthless. Now after one miracle
strangers have judged him a hero. Peter knows better and he refuses to allow
their delusions another moment to thrive or grow.
"It's not my power or my godliness." Well what is
it then? Not just anyone does what Peter just did so what is it?
Grace. The unmerited favour of God. The realization that at
our worst His love is not diminished in the least. "I need your presence
every passing hour. What but Your grace can foil the tempter's power?"
Temptations to judge falsely. Temptations to give up on
ourselves or others. Temptations to take credit for things when the credit does
not belong to us. Grace can do all that?
Love is powerful. Undeserved love is infinitely more
powerful. Yesterday I read the testimony of a young preacher. Not married very
long his wife confronted him with the Internet history on his computer. He was
deeply addicted to pornography but thought no one knew. Now he was exposed like
Peter in that courtyard. His mind raced. He thought it was over. She was going
to leave. She had every right to leave. He was a liar. A cheat. Two faced. A
fraud. She didn't. Instead of judgement she offered grace. She prayed with him
and for him. They went to counselling. She told him she loved him and that they
would work through it. The combination of being exposed yet still loved broke
the power of the addiction. "What but grace can foil the tempter's
power?"
Peter knew his own power. It collapsed under pressure almost
instantly. He came to know his own godliness too. It was just a mirage. How
could he stand in front of this lame man and the crowd and take one ounce of
credit for what just happened. He could not. He did not.
Why was Peter in center of His power? Abide with me... Peter
was positioned in the center of His grace. He remained in His presence every
passing hour.
I want to be like Peter. Keenly aware of my nothingness and
abiding in His grace.
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