Acts 9

Acts 9:1

Saul of Tarsus was religious. Trained by Gamaliel, the “teacher’s teacher” of that day, Saul knew the Scriptures well. Saul was respected. He was a member of the Sanhedrinthe Jewish Supreme Court. Saul was refined. We read in chapter 7 that when Stephen was being stoned, Saul gave consent to the execution, but he was above picking up a rock himself. And now we see Saul as relentless, traveling throughout Judea, Samaria, and northern Israeleven across the border into Damascus, one hundred forty miles from Jerusalemto hunt believers down and bring them back bound. Why did this religious, respected, refined man become relentless in his pursuit of those who named the name of Jesus? I believe that when Saul saw Stephen’s face glow like an angel’s and heard the words, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” from his lips, something snapped within Saul. Witnessing not only Stephen’s death, but the reality of his faith, Saul was shaken. And, in his insecurity, he became a crazed reactionary. But even as his anger ignited and his rage rose, something else happened within Saul as he watched the stoning of Stephen, for years later (Acts 17), Saul would make reference to the very message Stephen preached moments before his execution. This encourages me because it proves that, although people might seem to be turning a deaf ear to what we’re sayingor worse, picking up stones to put us down or shut us upthe Word of God does not return void (Isa_55:11). Scripture is like a time bomb, gang. Share the Word. Even though the person you’re talking to might look at you as if you’re crazy, you’re planting little time bombs in his inner man. Share the Word with your kids, your co-workers, your friendsand wait for the “bombs” to go off, just as they did in the heart of Saul.

Acts 9:3

While walking down the road, a light shone on Saul. Do you know people who seem absolutely hardened to the gospel? Maybe you work with one. Maybe you’re married to one. The Lord has ways of breaking through to them and shining His light on them unpredictably and unexpectedlyeven as He did with Saul.

Acts 9:4

“Why persecutest thou me?” This is not the voice of protestation; it’s the voice of consideration, as if to say, “Saul, stop and think about what you’re doing, for in persecuting those people, you’re persecuting Me.” We are the bride of Christ. He’s jealous for us and in love with us. Thus, when we find fault with one anothereven if there’s reasonHe takes it personally, as any husband would. Next time you want to come down on one who is in love with Jesus Christ, be careful, for in attacking His bride, we attack Him.

Acts 9:5

“It’s hard to do what you’re doing, isn’t it, Saul, when in your heart you know what you’re doing isn’t right?”

Acts 9:6

Underline this verse, because it is the essence of what conversion is all about. You’ll always know when a person is truly born-again, for when he’s had an encounter with the Lord, he will invariably ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” A man in a restaurant, choking on a chicken bone, grabbed his throat and fell to the floor. From five tables over a doctor stood up, ran to the scene, and quickly dislodged the bone. “Doctor, what do I owe you?” asked the man. “Whatever you thought it was worth when you were choking,” replied the doctor. So, too, what the Lord asks us to do is not a pressure upon us, but a privilege for us when we realize the price He paid to save us when we were choking on sin and headed for eternal damnation. The Lord always directs one step at a time. How often I want to see the big picture, but the Lord doesn’t work that way. Be obedient to what you know you should do, and, as you do it, more will be revealed to you.

Acts 9:7

What happened to Saul is a perfect picture of what happens in photography: Film, coated with light-sensitive salts and chemicals, is kept in darkness. When the shutter opens, light pours in, and whatever is seen in the light at that second is printed on the film. Then it’s quickly returned to darkness, lest it be overexposed. Finally, it is taken into a darkroom, where it is placed in a chemical solution and fully developed. When Saul was persecuting Christians, he was in spiritual darkness. Suddenly, on the road to Damascus, the shutter release was pushed, and he saw the Light. Then he was returned to darkness through physical blindness in order for the image of Jesus alone to be permanently imprinted upon his heart and developed within his life.

Acts 9:10

Straight Street is still in Damascus. It’s the main road that runs east to west through the downtown section of this, the oldest city in the world. How do you know when a person is converted? First, he says to the Lord, “What do You want me to do?” Secondly, he continues talking to the Lord. He prays.

Acts 9:12

It’s interesting that the Lord used a man named Ananias to be the instrument of Saul’s recovery and that Ananias was to go to the house of Judas. Ananias and Judas are two names that are infamous in the New Testament. Judas was the betrayer of Jesus. Ananias was the liar of the early church (Acts 5). And certainly the name Saul doesn’t exactly conjure up images of spiritual perfection! The Lord is doing something neat here, I think: He’s redeeming names even as He continues His redemptive work in people.

Acts 9:15

God told Ananias that Paul’s ministry was to be to the Gentiles first and foremost, secondly to kings, and lastly to the people of Israel. Initially, however, Paul would keep trying to minister to the Jews and find himself frustrated in the process. So, too, sometimes the reason we get upset in serving the Lord is because we don’t understand or aren’t obedient to His plan for our individual ministry.

Acts 9:17

Not “Brutal Saul” or “Bruiser Saul,” Ananias called him “Brother Saul” because Ananias immediately accepted the fact that Saul was a brother regardless of his previous spiritual blindness, regardless of his present physical blindness. Notice that although Saul was a brother, he was not yet empowered with the Spirit. Although some argue this point, I believe the Book of Acts clearly depicts an empowering subsequent to salvation.

Acts 9:19

Thinking he was custom-made to be a witness to the Jewseducated by Gamaliel, and a member of the SanhedrinPaul headed for the synagogues. In Romans 9 he would write, “I would be accursed if it would lead to the salvation of my brethren” (see Rom_9:3).

Acts 9:21

The Jews in Damascus were amazedbut they weren’t converted. They were confounded, but not persuaded. At this point, realizing the Jews were not receiving his testimony, Paul took off for the desert, where he would spend three years in Arabia (Gal_1:17). What did he do there? Saul, the Old Testament scholar par excellence, enrolled in a three-year course taught by the Holy Spirit on how every symbol, every sacrifice, every picture in the Old Testament related to the Person of Jesus Christ. Seminarians today graduate with a DD, a Doctorate of Divinity. Saul graduated with a much more powerful DD, a Doctorate of the Desert.

Acts 9:22

Three years later, Paul came back and said, “Wait until you hear what I’ve got to share,” as he talked to the Jews once more.

Acts 9:23

Paul won the debate, but he didn’t win their hearts. Although it seemed like he was the perfect one to carry out ministry to the Jewsthat was not the plan of the Lord. In fact, his ministry to the Jews was met with such animosity that he had to be let down in a basket under cover of night to save his life.

Acts 9:26

Now does Paul go to the Gentiles? Not yet. He goes to Jerusalem, the capital of Judaism. The disciples didn’t buy Paul’s conversion story. Only Barnabas, whose name means “son of consolation,” said, “Hey, boys, give Saul a break. He really has had an experience with the Lord. I saw him in Damascus preaching Jesus Christ.” Finally, the brothers sent Saul to Gentile territory, saying, “It’s just not working here, Paul. Go back to Tarsus.” The churches were edified and multipliedwhen? When they got rid of Paul. Paul, who had such a heart for the people of Israel, was finally sent out of Israel, into Gentile territory, where he would spend the next seven to ten years living in obscurity in Tarsus. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you were saved ten years ago, and you had such vision, such desire to be used in ministry or service. You thought, I’m tailor-made to do this, or, I’ve got a call upon my life for this. And you tried. But it just didn’t work out. Maybe for the past ten years, you’ve been waiting, wondering, Is the Lord ever going to use me? Be of good cheer! The man who would turn the world upside downthe most important preacher of all time, the most powerful person who has ever lived except for the Lord Jesus Christhad to first experience shut doors, shut doors, shut doors, and ten years of sitting in Tarsus while the Lord reworked and rewired him. If the Lord is doing that in your life, don’t be discouraged. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t walk away. Let Him do His work and have His way. Go with the flow. Put away your agenda. Get back to basics and say, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Let Down? Look Up! A Topical Study of Act_9:25-31 Years ago, a book appeared on the New York Times bestseller list that dealt with statistics and probabilities. It was an intriguing volume, wherein the author, a statistician, presents nuggets of information like these: One in one thousand Americans will have murdered someone in his lifetime. (Next time you’re at a baseball park or a football stadium with forty thousand other folks, keep in mind that statistically there are forty murderers in the stadium with you.) One in two hundred Americans will spend time in prison. Seven in ten who start a company will see it go bankrupt. Nine in ten who lose weight on a diet will gain back every single pound. (If you start a business, the odds are 70 percent it will go belly-up. And if you go on a diet, the odds are 90 percent it will be belly out!) The chance of being hit by lightning is one in nine thousand. The chance of winning the lottery is one in four million. But the chance of being let down by someone or something is one in onewhich brings us to our textwhere we see the apostle Paul, still called Saul at this point, let down from the city wall in a basket. Initially, it must have been disconcerting, disappointing, and disillusioning to him. But Paul would later write that this time of being let downin more ways than onewould be the second greatest event in his life. If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.2Co_11:30-33 Paul says, “If I’m going to glory, this is what I will glory in: my difficulty.” Listen to this paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 11: “The greatest event in my life was when they took me at night and let me down over the wall of Damascus in a basket. That was the most meaningful experience I have ever had since the day I met Christ.” Far from feeling let down by this event, Paul actually gloried in it. But it took time. You see, following his conversion, Paul’s singular passion was to preach Christ to the Jews. In Rom_9:3 he says he would literally go to hell if doing so would bring about their salvation. Would you do that? Would you spend eternity in hell if your brother would be saved? I know nothing of that kind of love. Paul cared so deeply for Israel that he said he would be accursed for his brethren. Trained as a Jewish scholar and theologian, it would seem as though Paul was tailor-made to be a minister unto the Jews. But in Act_9:15, God had told Ananias that Paul’s ministry would be first to the Gentiles, second to kings, and lastly to Jews. So what did Paul do? Act_9:20 tells us he headed straight for the synagoguesto preach to the Jews. So poorly was he received, however, that his audience wanted to kill him, necessitating his escape by night in a basket. What did he do then? He headed for Jerusalemthe very capital of Judaism! We pick up the story as Paul shares his testimony in Acts 22… And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.Act_22:17-21 What’s happening here? After spending fifteen days in Jerusalem (Gal_1:18), Paul went into the temple. Through a trance, the Lord said to him, “I’m sending you to the Gentiles, Paul,” to which Paul answered, “But, Lord, You’re missing a great opportunity! The Jews here know I was a radical on their behalf, going into the synagogues and the homes where Christians met to drag them out and have them killed. They know I consented to the death of Stephen, the first martyr. Don’t you see, Lord, how powerful my testimony could be here in Jerusalem?” And the Lord responded by saying, “Depart, Paul. I’m sending you to the Gentiles.” So Paul was sent to Tarsus, where he would spend between seven and ten years laboring in obscurity. Maybe you can relate to this. Maybe, like Paul, you have said, “Lord, You’re missing a great opportunity. I’m custom-made to reach these people. If You bless my business, my family, this projectLord, just think how good it would be!” And the Lord says, “Depart. I’m sending you somewhere else.” In Mat_11:28, Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” Rest from what? Rest from your works, rest from trying to be spiritual, rest from trying to be religious. Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.Mat_11:29 When you come to Jesus initially, you find rest from your works. But it’s only when you are yoked to Jesus that you find rest in your heart. Perhaps today you might have rest from your worksyou’ve been born again; you’re a believerbut you don’t have rest in your heart. You’re troubled about many things: family, finances, ministry, health, and relationships. Do you know why that is? We are troubled in our hearts when we fail to take His yoke upon us; when we try to call the shots and direct what we think should happen. Our ideas could be good, our motives noble. But they’re worthless if they’re not what God intends. If you’re troubled today because someone let you down, some project didn’t open up, some relationship didn’t work out, you can become a basket caselet down over the side of the wall in bitterness and defeat. Or, like Paul, you can learn to trust the Lord and see a bigger picture by saying, “Your way, Lord, not mine. I give up. I let go. What do You want to do? I yoke myself with You.” What is a yoke? A device that connects a weaker, dumber ox to a stronger, wiser ox. Guess which ox you are. “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me,” Jesus says to us. “Link to Me and learn of Me. Let Me lead you.” “But, Lord,” we say, “we can bless those folks. We can see things happen! Come on, Lord.” And we try to pull God in our direction. I believe that’s what Paul was trying to do. And it took seven to ten years before he finally gave up. Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, changed the world when he accepted the yoke the Lord placed upon him and said, “Okay, we’ll go in Your direction.” And that is why he looked back on the day he was let down in a basket as the most important day in his life, second only to the day he met Christ (2Co_11:30-33). What if Paul hadn’t learned that lesson? What if he kept storming into synagogues, trying to make a way into Jerusalem? He would have either died at a very young age or he would have had a very ineffective ministry. Don’t try to persuade the Lord to go your way. When you’re let down, don’t give up. Instead, say, “Okay, Lord, what do You want to do now?” His plan for you might be very different from your own. His vision of you might be different from the way you see yourself because those whose ministry is based upon their own abilities, skills, and talents are those who have a tendency to take the glory for themselves. “To the Gentiles, Paul. I want to do an entirely different thing through you,” said the Lord. “But my heart” protested Paul. “To the Gentiles, Paul,” answered the Lord. “But my background” “To the Gentiles, Paul.” “But my training” “To the Gentiles, Paul.” “But, Lord” “To the Gentiles, Paul.” “But” “To the Gentiles, Paul.” “Okay, Lord.” Some of you will make that decision today. You’ll finally choose to say, “Okay, Lord.” And when you do, you will find rest in your soul.

Acts 9:32

With Paul tucked away in Tarsus, the focus returns to Peter. “Peter passed through all quarters.” I feel this is a key component in this vignette. Peter was on the move, a man of motion, a man looking for opportunities. So, too, todaywhen the Lord wants to use a man or a woman, He’ll use someone who, like Peter, is on the move, looking for ways to serve Him. I’m so blessed and challenged and intrigued by my brother Peter. Even though he was the “Big Gun in Jerusalem,” here we see him ministering to people one at a time.

Acts 9:34

Notice not only Peter’s motion, but notice his motivation when he said, “Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.”

Acts 9:36

“Quick! Call for Peter. Dorcas is dead.” Following the demise of no other apostle or spiritual leader did the early church ever call in the apostles. “The apostles, the prophets, the spiritual superstars, they’re dead? Well, let’s move on. But Dorcas? We need her.” Why? Because Dorcas was one who ministered practically. She did good things for people. She sewed clothing. She cared for them in a very tangible way. She was down to earth. She was real. When your car isn’t working, you don’t want a prophet or an apostle or a preacheryou want a mechanic. Give us more mechanics! Give us more seamstresses! Give us more cooks! God, give us more practical, loving people like Dorcas.

Acts 9:39

Peter was available. That is the most important requirement for personal ministry. He didn’t say, “I’m too big to minister to one dead woman. Do you think that’s a good use of my time?” No, Peter responded to the need at hand. Maybe there’s a dead person in your lifenot physically but spirituallywhom the Lord wants to revive through you, as He taps on your shoulder and says, “Come quickly.” Peter was prayerful. I suggest to you the reason Peter knelt down was because he realized that not only was he inadequate for this ministry, but if anyone happened to look into his room while he was praying, they would see him calling upon the Lord. Peter was fruitful. His ministry to one dead woman caused an entire city to be exposed to the gospel. By many peoples’ evaluation, Mordecai Ham was one of the least effective preachers of his day. But a young man named William heard his message, responded, and got saved. This makes Mordecai Ham’s entire ministry valid, for William Franklin Graham, better known as Billy, would, in turn, reach millions. When you reach one third-grader in Sunday school, you don’t know if that third-grader might not be the next Billy Graham. Like Peter, you never know the fruit that will come from working with one “dead” person. Peter was flexible. Where did he lodge? With a tanner. Because they dealt with dead animals, so unclean did the Jews esteem tanners that the MishnahJewish regulationstated that the wife of a tanner had the right to divorce him. Thus, the Lord’s work with Peter concerning the issue of legalism began in the house of a fellow whom Peter previously would have avoided completely. If we’re going to be used individually and corporately, like Peter, we need to show flexibility within the parameters of Scripturenot bound by traditions or preconceived opinionseven if it means hanging out with tanners. Be like Peter. Be available. Be prayerful. Be flexibleand watch the Lord make you fruitful. What Would Jesus Do? A Topical Study of Act_9:32-41 Five hundred million dollars up in smoke; forty-one lives senselessly snuffed out; a city smoldering; a nation questioning. The images we saw on television eleven years ago of the Los Angeles riots have been indelibly imprinted on our collective memory. We’ll never forget the shopkeeper shaking his head in disbelief as gang members broke into his shop and carried out his life’s work while police stood by watching. We’ll never forget the woman cradling her fifteen-year-old daughter in her arms after she had been struck down by a stray bullet on Crenshaw Boulevard. We’ll never forget the drugstore manager with tears in his eyes, telling his employees they no longer had a job. We’ll never forget the truck driver being pulled from his cab by six young men who proceeded to grind his face into the pavement. It’s been a dark week. I’m so glad that on this Sunday we can come to God’s house and look into His Wordbecause, for any dark time, His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. How are we to deal with the sickness and the sadness we see all around us? I believe our text gives us the answer… And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.Act_9:32-35 What intrigues me about this passage is that the story is incredibly similar to what had transpired a few years previously when Jesus was at a pool called Bethesda. Lame people were lying all around the pool, waiting for the stirring of the water, after which the first one to take the plunge would be healed of his infirmity. It was there that Jesus approached a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years and said, “Rise and take up your bed” (see Joh_5:8). And here a few years later, Peter used virtually the same phraseology when he said to the lame man at Lydda, “Rise, make up your bed.” “Rise"a command. “Take up your bed"an exhortation. So, too, the Lord comes to you and me and says, “Rise. I’m giving you victory today. I’m healing you of that lame sin with which you’ve been involved. Now take up your bed and don’t expect or provide for any relapse whatsoever.” “Rise, take up your bed,” said Jesus. “Rise, make up your bed,” echoed Peter. And miracles happened. After finding sickness in Lydda, Peter found sadness in Joppa… Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise.

And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.Act_9:36-41 Tabitha was dead, and there was great sadness in the city. The disciples called for Peter, and when he arrived, he immediately put out the mourners. Why? Some say it was because he needed the room. Others say it was because if he prayed and nothing happened he wouldn’t be embarrassed. But I say it was because that’s what he had seen Jesus do. You recall the story. Jesus was asked to come to the house of Jairus to heal his daughter. But before He arrived, she died. When Jesus said, “She’s not dead. She’s just sleeping,” the mourners who were gathered around the house, mocked Him to scorn. Luke wrote that Jesus sent all of the mockers out (Luk_8:53-54). Then He went into the room of Jairus’ daughter, took her by the hand, and said, “Talitha cumi,” or “Little lamb, arise.” “Talitha cumi,” said Jesus. “Tabitha cumi,” echoed Peter. And miracles happened. What does this have to do with the LA riots of eleven years ago? Plenty. No doubt at the time you engaged in discussions about the events that took placethe sickness and sadness, the death and darkness, the destruction and despair. And no doubt the discussions centered around these questions… Why Did This Happen? Why was there looting and robbing and killing and rabble-rousing? There are those who say, “It’s indicative of the end times. Doesn’t the Bible say that in the last days perilous times will come when men will be lovers of themselves, boasters, disobedient, unthankful, unholy, unloving, without self-control, despisers of good” (2Ti_3:1-3)? Others say, “I’m not sure it’s end-time prophecy. Rather, I suggest it’s Old Testament prophecy. Haven’t you read Isaiah, Micah, or Amos? Don’t you recall what the prophets of God said in days of oldthat if the poor were forgotten and there was a lack of compassion, there would be judgment throughout the land?” So goes the debate among believers. Who Was to Blame? Some say it was a jury in Simi Valley. Others say, “It’s youth. The verdict in Simi Valley was merely their excuse to practice anarchy. Didn’t you see the picture of the man breaking out of the store carrying a TV and declaring, “Forget Rodney King. I’m king today”? Others say, “It’s not the jury in Simi Valley, and it’s not the kids roving about in anarchy. It’s the fault of our prosperous white society. The comfortably wealthy have seen the plight of the poor on their TV screens and heard about it on their radios. But, like Cain, they have chosen to shrug it off, asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” But I suggest we’re asking the wrong questions. We who name the name of Jesus should not have been asking, “Why?” or, “Who?” but “What?” “What would Jesus have done if He were there in the flesh that day?” You see, when there is sadness or sickness in our society, in our families, or in our lives personally, I suggest to you the issue is not “Who is to blame?” or, “Why did this happen?” but… What Would Jesus Do? What would He have done? Would He have called Rush Limbaugh? Would He have politicized the event? Would He have analyzed the outcome? “How can we know what He would do?” you ask. “He never saw a city like LA.” Oh, really? As He came down the mount called Olivet and rode toward the city of Jerusalem, Jesus heard the people crying, “Hosanna!” But He knew that within a few hours their cry would change. Anarchy would sweep through the city, and a bloodthirsty mob would unjustly and unlawfully cry out, “We will not have this man rule over us. Crucify Him!” So Jesus stopped, and what did He do? He cried not for Himself, but for the people. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings” (see Luk_13:34). And if you think this is stretching the point because the crowds weren’t rioting or violent, consider the soldiers who plucked Jesus’ beard and spat in His face. Consider the soldiers who rolled dice for His garments even as He hung on the Cross to pay the price for their sins. Did Jesus give a discourse on the ills of society? No. He said, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” What about us? We usually make our case, give our opinion, and justify our position. When I get to heaven, I know I’m going to be absolutely stunned by the prejudiced and flawed opinions I held that I was sure were so right. No wonder Paul writes, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part: but then shall I know even as I am known” (1Co_13:12). So what are we to do in the meantime? Philosophize? No. Analyze? No. In dealing with your boss, your spouse, your neighbor, or your children, the question is not: “Who is to blame?” or “Why is this happening?” The question always is: “What would Jesus do?” “How do I know what Jesus would do?” you ask. The answer is very simple: Read your Bible. Put down the paper, turn off your TV, and open Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Johnfour accounts of the actions, thoughts, and heart of Jesus. Found in the very beginning of the New Testament, the Gospels are the Father saying, “Here is the life of My Son. I’m repeating it four times so you won’t miss it.” What do the Gospels tell us Jesus did in dark days? According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as He overlooked Jerusalem, and as He hung on the Cross surrounded by people acting like animals, Jesus did a singular thing: He prayed. Compassionately and forgivingly, He prayed. That is what you and I are called to do in dark days like these: Pray. “I’d rather discuss. I’d rather debate. I’d rather write a letter to the editor,” you say. Pray. That’s what Jesus did. He didn’t discuss the situation philosophically. He didn’t debate it politically. He saw a city headed for anarchy. He hung on the Cross and was tortured brutally. Yet He did one thing singularly: He prayed. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.2Ch_7:14 “If My people who are called by My name” That’s us “Will humble themselves” Will quit theorizing, analyzing, and philosophizing “And pray and seek My face and confess their sin” Will pray not about the wicked ways of those in LA or anywhere else, but about the sin within themselves “Then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” The promise of God practiced in the life of Jesus is so incredibly simple. For whatever problem you face, whatever sickness or sadness, darkness or death in your lifeask yourself a very simple question: What Would Jesus Do? I pray that, like Peter, we’ll be imitators of Jesusknowing His ways, hearing His heart, and praying as He prayed.