“But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!”
Acts 9:40 (NLT)
When something is wrong, my first instinct is to call on myself, the doctor, worldly wisdom, or my bank account. But Acts 9 shows me why we should call spiritual 911 first—call upon the name of the Lord. God can provide an answer over and above—beyond, different, more—than what calling upon ourselves can do.
Peter walks into the upstairs room where Tabitha lies dead, surrounded by widows weeping and showing him the garments she made. Their grief is real, and her kindness mattered. But Peter knows the story isn’t over, so he asks the mourning to leave the room. Doubt and despair can’t be the atmosphere when we’re asking God to move a mountain. Peter wasn’t divided between mourning and expectation—he set the mourning aside so the only thing left in the room before he prays is faith.
After the room is purified, Peter kneels and prays, and then he speaks with faith: “Get up, Tabitha.” No show. No long ceremony. Just faith in the name of Jesus. And she opens her eyes and sits up—she does exactly what Peter prayed. Then Peter does what a godly leader does: he gives her his hand and helps her all the way up. When faith has worked, then we call those we love back in to see what God has done—so their faith can be strengthened too.
If we want to pray in faith today, we have to remove fear and wavering, circle up with Jesus, and expect to receive—then let the fruit strengthen everyone’s faith. James 1:6–8 warns us that a divided, wavering heart shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. So before we pray, we have to set mourning aside, remove the doubt, and let faith be the only thing left in the room. Then belief will follow the good news because it’s not just a message—it’s the power of God on display.