At the Time of Prayer

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1).

                I hated Morning Prayer.  The reason was I wanted to sleep more.  But God had kept on making me to go to Morning Prayer.  When I was in college Junior or Senior, God made me to be responsible to lead Korean Christian Fellowship (KCF) Morning Prayer.  But when I went to seminary, I didn’t go to Korean Student Morning Prayer because I was overwhelmed with theological studies.  But in my third year, I became president of the Korean Student Association.  So I had to go to Morning Prayer to be an example to other fellow Korean students.  Then, after graduated from the seminary, I didn’t go to my church morning prayer even though I was sleeping in the church second floor (Morning Prayer was on third floor).  Well… That was my short story of my prayer life.  Now, since I became a senior pastor, I had been going to our church morning prayer for almost 9 years.  At first, I went to the Morning Prayer because I had to.  And later, I went because I needed to.  But now, I go to Morning Prayer because I want to.  I want to go to the church and pray to God.  And I want to hear His voice through His Word.  And I am enjoying singing the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” 

                When we look at the today’s passage Acts 3:1, we can see Peter and John going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon.  And they meet a man crippled from birth (v.2).  When the man saw Peter and John about to enter to the temple, he asked them for money (v.3).  But instead of giving him money, Peter looked straight at him (v.4) and said “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (v.6).  And he took him by the right hand and helped him up (v.7).  Instantly, the man’s feet and ankles became strong (v.7).  As I meditated on this story, I thought about “prayer” in the book of Acts.  The first passage that came into my mind was Acts 1 in where a group numbering about a hundred and twenty (v.15) all joined together constantly in prayer (v.14).  Ad they prayed, they held onto the promised word of Jesus - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v.8).  As a result, on the day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (2:4).  Next passage that came into my mind was Acts 2 in where Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ (vv.14-36) about three thousand who accepted his message were baptized (v.41) and “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v.42).  After this passage, then comes the today’s passage Acts 3:1 in where Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer and healed the man crippled from birth.  As I thought about “the time of prayer”, it reminded me the story of Cornelius in Acts 10.  It was because Cornelius who “prayed to God regularly” (v.2) met Peter who “went up on the roof to pray” (v.9).  When Cornelius sent men to Joppa to bring back Peter (vv.5, 7-8), they went and found out where Peter’s house was and stopped at the gate (v.17).  And that was the time when Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision that he saw (v.17) when he fell into a trance (v.10).  Isn’t it interesting to see how God has brought people together?  Cornelius who prayed to God regularly met Peter who went up on the roof to pray.  Why did God allow this to happen?  Why did He enable them to meet together?  It was because God wanted to bring salvation even to the gentile.  When Peter proclaimed the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (vv.36-43), all those who gathered in Cornelius such as his relatives and close friends (v.24), the Holy Spirit came on all of them (v.44).  And they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (v.48).  Another passage that came into my mind as I thought about “the time of prayer” was Acts chapter 16 in where Paul and his companions (v.6) met a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira (v.14) as they expected to find a place of prayer on the Sabbath (v.13).  Why did God allow Paul and his companions to meet Lydia?  Look at what God did to Lydia and his family.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message (v.14).  As a result, not only she was baptized, but also the members of her household were baptized as well (v.15).  After this story, Paul and his companions were going to the place of prayer and met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future (v.16).  Paul healed her in the name of Jesus Christ (v.18).  As a result, they were putted in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks (v.24).  Even in that circumstance, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God (v.25).  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake and all the prison doors flew open with their chains came loose (v.26).  And the jailor was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped (v.27).  But God used this crisis to bring salvation to the jailor.  He believed in the Lord Jesus and he and his household were saved (vv. 31, 33-34).  Isn’t this surprising how God used such men of prayer like Peter and Paul to bring salvation to Cornelius and his relatives and close friends, Lydia and the jailor and their families?  In today’s passage Acts chapter 3, what happened to the man crippled from birth when Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer wasn’t accident.  Through this miraculous healing, Peter proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ (vv.12-26).  As a result, many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about five thousand (4:4).  What a wonderful work of the Lord!

                Let me conclude this meditation.  When we look at Acts 4:31, the Scripture says “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (v.31).  What does it mean?  When we pray, God will fill us with the Holy Spirit.  Then, we will speak the word of God boldly.  When we pray, God will lead us to a man or a woman whom He wants us to share the gospel boldly.  And God will open his/her heart to hear the message of Christ and will save that soul.  Then, God will use that saved soul to bring salvation to his/her family.  By doing so, the Lord will continually build His church.  May God use us to build His church!

May the Lord build us wo/men of prayer,

James Kim