How can Acts 9:37 encourage us to trust God's timing in difficult situations? Setting the Scene in Joppa “In those days she became ill and died; and when they had washed her, they placed her in an upstairs room.” — Acts 9:37 Tabitha’s story doesn’t begin with a miracle. It begins with heartbreak. A beloved disciple dies, her body is washed, and she is laid in an upstairs room. Everything in that sentence feels final—yet, for God, it is only the setup. Why God Let It Reach This Point • God often allows the situation to reach an “upstairs-room” moment so that His intervention will be unmistakably His doing, not human effort. • The delay positions witnesses. Friends, mourners, and Peter himself all become eyewitnesses to the power of the risen Christ. • By allowing death before deliverance, the Lord magnifies the testimony: “This became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42). A Moment That Looked Too Late • From a human view, death is the ultimate deadline. Once the body is washed, hope appears impossible. • Yet Jesus had already conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:20–22). God’s clock is not bound by ours. • The upstairs room becomes a stage for resurrection glory, showing that circumstances that look “too late” are never too late for the Lord (John 11:21–26). What God’s Timing Accomplished 1. Confirmed His Sovereignty – “I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly” (Isaiah 60:22b). 2. Enlarged the Witness – A private healing would have comforted a few; a public resurrection evangelized a city. 3. Strengthened Believers’ Faith – Peter’s faith grew for greater works (Acts 9:40; Acts 10), and the church learned to expect the impossible. Principles for Our Waiting Seasons • God’s delays are never His denials. • The darker the night, the clearer the dawn of His glory. • When every natural option has expired, the supernatural can shine without competition. • Our “upstairs rooms” of waiting are often incubators for miracles we could never script. Scriptures that Echo the Lesson • Psalm 31:15 — “My times are in Your hands.” • Habakkuk 2:3 — “For the vision awaits an appointed time… though it lingers, wait for it.” • Romans 8:28 — “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.” • 2 Corinthians 4:17 — “Momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory.” Living It Out Today • When you face a crisis that seems past remedy, picture Tabitha’s still form in that upstairs room—and remember what happened next. • Speak truth to your heart: “If God can reverse death, He can handle this.” • Keep the door open for divine intervention by refusing to label any situation irreversible. • Expect that His timing, though seldom early, is always perfect and purposeful. |
    |