“But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!””
Acts 9:38 (NLT)
In Acts 9, we learn about Tabitha (Dorcas)—a woman known for kindness and helping the poor—who dies in Joppa. Her friends prepare her for burial and place her in an upstairs room. But when the believers hear Peter is nearby in Lydda, they don’t treat death like the final word. They send two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!” That urgency tells me somebody had faith that the story wasn’t over.
Why did they reach for Peter? Because word had spread about what Jesus had just done in that region—Aeneas, paralyzed and bedridden, is now walking around. The power of God was on display, and people knew the apostle was close as a result. They called on Godly leadership to help, but Acts 3:16 keeps our theology straight: Peter wasn’t the source. Faith in the name of Jesus caused healing before their very eyes.
That matters because it means the outcome wasn’t only possible because “Peter was around.” Peter’s history with Jesus strengthened his faith, and that’s why the believers sought him—but access to Jesus’ name isn’t reserved for a select few. The same Lord who answers Peter’s prayers is the Lord who hears His people when they pray today. The believers in Joppa had enough faith to ask for help. But I also hear an invitation in the story: grow the kind of personal faith that speaks to a mountain and trusts God to move it (Mark 11).
So I’m examining what I reach for first when something goes wrong. Do I call spiritual 9-1-1—prayer, the Word, the name of Jesus—with the same urgency these believers had? Or do I default to my own knowledge, my medicine cabinet, my doctor, bank account, or worldly wisdom? What I go to first reveals what my faith is truly in. Today I want to bring Jesus into the situation first, and trust Him to lead me to anything else only if He says so.