The
first time I saw the sign was when I was in high school and I was in the office
of one of the school counselors. The
sign said, “Sorry, my magic wand is in the shop.” Since that time I have seen similar signs
with the same intent. The idea is that
none of us can work a miracle. None of
us have a magic wand to solve all of our problems.
And yet
we have this story in Acts. What was
Tabitha like? What happened to her? Who was sent for? What did Peter do? Why do you think he did that?
This is
one of those miracle stories. Tabitha, a
devoted believer, a disciple, falls ill and dies. All of her friends learn that Peter is nearby
so they send for him, begging him to come.
But, like the Lazarus story (John 11:1-44) Peter arrives to find Tabitha
deceased. Her body has already been
through the Jewish cleansing ritual performed on the dead – a detail provided,
no doubt, to let us know she was definitely deceased.
Upon
his arrival Peter is shown samples of all the work Tabitha had accomplished. It is then when Peter ushers everyone out of
the room and performs the miracle of raising Tabitha from the dead.
At
first glance we can see the miracle as the magic wand that no one has. We can also see Tabitha’s resurrection as an
example that good people are rewarded.
While
it’s true that Peter was able to do miraculous work, we are not always able to
be part of the incredible working of God.
We should not expect God to part the sea or raise the dead whenever
things get tough for us.
Although
Tabitha was brought back to life it likely was not a reward for her work. She was not rewarded or paid back for doing
kind deeds. Rather, Tabitha was blessed
because she had strong faith.
Although
Tabitha was brought back to life she still had to experience death. Though rewarded with new life she still had
to go through the pain of illness and death.
The point is that all of us, even the most devout and dedicated, must
endure trials and troubles in life. The
benefit the faithful enjoy, however, is the knowledge that God is with us to
help us through all the challenges.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What reminds you that God is with you?
