The Apostles did a number of miracles. We will, however, restrict ourselves to a few to know how the Lord heals through his people.
Many Signs and Wonders Done: Acts 5:12-16
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed
Tabitha / Dorcas Acts 9:36-42
Acts 9:39-41 “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 showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 40 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. 41 And he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.” Tabitha was a disciple. She followed Jesus’s teachings about how to treat others. She made clothes for the widows and the poor. She always did well and helped those in need. Then, suddenly, Tabitha got sick and died. Two men were sent to urge Peter to come to Joppa. Tabitha was placed upstairs in preparation for burial, and her friends and the widows were there mourning her passing.
When Peter arrived, the women were crying, and they showed him the clothes Tabitha had made for them. He sent them all out of the room. He got on his knees and prayed. He turned to her and said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes and sat up. Peter called for all of them to come back, and he presented a living Tabitha to them. Her coming back to life became known all over Joppa, and many more people believed in the Lord as a result.
Luke introduces Tabitha in Acts by calling her a disciple. He also writes that “she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36, NIV). Tabitha, like so many women, helped others. She may have been a widow herself, possibly with financial means. This may be how she was able to help so many. In any case, there is no doubt that she was loved by those she helped. In Tabitha’s story, we see a life lived with faithfulness, a life of service. The way her community mourned her loss demonstrates the impact her life had on those around her. Tabitha used her gifts to bless those who encountered her. We are called to bless others with the gifts we, too, have been given.
Dr Ashwin Drummond
laddertoheaven.co.in