Acts 3:1-2

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Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple.

Acts 3:1-2

It was the custom of the Jews to go and pray three times a day at the temple. At 9:00 am, noon, and 3:00 pm, they would go and pray for an hour In the verse above, Peter and John are on their way to pray. As they go, they come upon this man whom they had seen many times before, a man unable to walk, begging at the temple, lame since the day he was born. If you are familiar with this story, you know that in just a few verses this man will be “walking and leaping and praising God.” 

I think if you desire to be used by the Lord, this is a great example to follow. Peter and John were in the habit of praying, but it wasn’t just a “custom or ritual” that they followed as Jewish men; it was the lifeblood of their relationship with their Heavenly Father. They believed, as James did, that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16),  and as they went to pray, God gave them an opportunity to touch this lame man in Jesus’s name.

Do you look forward to time in prayer with your heavenly Father? Make it a spiritual habit in your life, and God will give you opportunities to minister in His name.

Pastor Doug Hardin