The Wait Called Beautiful...

We were standing in a subway train on our way to church when a man in a motorized wheelchair entered our car. It wasn’t crowded but all the seats were full. He made his way down the car randomly placing a laminated card and a wrapped toothbrush on people’s laps. After one circuit he went through again collecting the items. Jina said, “He’s asking for money. It happens a lot.” While most people ignored him, one lady kept the toothbrush and gave him some money.

I’ve seen preachers and salesmen on the subway, but this was my first beggar. I thought with pity about his life, entering car after car doing the same thing all day long. It reminded me of the cripple at the Temple Gate. Day after day, year after year, he took his place asking for contributions, until Peter and John came along. Peter said to him, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Instantly, the man’s life changed. His dream was realized and he was a new man.

Then the Spirit reminded me that the man was there a long time. He was there when Jesus passed by… Think of it. The Power of God had already been available to this man, but he didn’t experience it. Why didn’t Jesus heal him? Some would say that the man didn’t have faith at that time. Perhaps. It’s true that all who come to Christ do so at different times and from different places, sometimes after many opportunities have passed by. But Jesus probably healed others who didn’t become His disciples. Why not this man? Wasn’t it cruel to leave him in this suffering state?

Jesus loved this man, but He restrained Himself, submitting to His Father’s will and time. He allowed the cripple to remain in his suffering for a future, greater purpose. I understand that wait. I’ve experienced what seemed like unending suffering. Heart-broken and agonizing, I prayed for healing that didn’t come. Instead, the Father said, “Wait.” He held my broken heart and loved me through the time. Then when the time was right, He healed me and said, “Now, look over there at what I’ve been working on.”

I shared all this with Jina and we both marveled at God’s plan.

Epilogue: At church, the time came for scripture reading. As instructed, we all turned to Acts 3, and Jina and I went wide-eyed as we read, “Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon. And a man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful….”