"And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all." (Acts 3: 16)

Before Peter affirmed the words above, an incredible miracle had just happened. A lame man who begged for money at the gate of the temple was miraculously healed. One moment, he had to be carried by others, the next, he was leaping and praising God. Peter attributes this miracle to the power of God manifested in His Servant Jesus, and tells everybody that the lame was healed because he trusted in Jesus' name.

Wait a minute! We don’t see this happening in the passage. We see the lame asking for alms, and a few minutes later we see Peter telling him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” and he rises up and walks. What did we miss? When did the lame trust in Jesus in this passage? Let me tell you...

As I recount the story, try to imagine what the lame man might have felt and thought, and if you're able to do it (as I did) I guarantee it'll transform your understanding of faith:

Peter approaches the lame and clarifies first hand that he has no money to give, but has something else. At this point, the man knows he won’t receive what he's asking for. He thinks, “Okay, no money, but he says he can give me something else." (So, he waits). Then Peter says: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth"… and as Peter is finishing his sentence... "rise up and walk," the lame thinks, "Oh my! He is talking about that Jesus! The one who healed people—Jesus, the Son of God! ...He’s going to heal me right now!!"

Can you picture the look on his face... his eyes wide open in expectation as he realizes what he is about to experience?  There you have it. That's the point of his faith. And the healing happens. It just happens. He raises himself up and walks. He can now walk! 

How did his faith come about? We don't know, but since "faith comes by hearing" he probably had heard Jesus, or his friends told him about Him. Was he "on the fence" before this miracle happened? We don't know, but what we do know is that in less than 4 seconds, (the time it takes uttering Peter's words) his life was radically transformed by faith! 

Faith is that easy. It is that simple. It is that instantaneous moment in which we realize there is absolute power in God to help us out. We just KNOW it's true. It is that split second in which God’s truth sinks into our spirit, passes through our intellect and floods our hearts with certainty, not only about God's power or ability but also about His willingness to do us good. Faith is a simple thing, an instantaneous thing. It doesn’t take long to believe. We don’t have to recite a hundred prayers or concentrate on Jesus until He comes alive. He is alive! Faith is simply understanding at the deepest level who Jesus is -- to realize that we can trust Him, that He loves us, that He is able and willing to help us, and trust He'll do it. It is so simple, yet so incredibly powerful!

Now I ask you, have you trusted in Jesus? Do you understand He is able and willing to forgive you? Do you realize He's the only one capable and willing to change your circumstances and transform your life? Are you ready to entrust your entire life to God?

I am a Christian. My passion is to know the Lord, and help others to understand His character and will. Read one of my blogs at: onetruthonegod.wordpress.com