Today was finally a beautiful and sunny day! My roommate Susannah and I took a walk down to the river and soaked up a little sun and got a little wet in the process! It was just nice to enjoy the weather and admire the beauty that surrounds us here in Shell, Ecuador.

I've been reading through the book of Acts lately and so I'll just share something that kind of stood out to me.

Acts 9:39-41

39Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 40Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.

Through the power of God, Peter performed an incredible miracle. I have often read the accounts of the miraculous healings from the New Testament and thought, where are the miracles today? I want to be able to say "Tabitha, get up" as Peter did and see the power of God move. Looking at these particuluar verses I thought about what exactly Peter did. I don't believe there is a magic prayer to say for healings or any such thing, but I do think there are models to be followed. The very first thing that Peter did was he got rid of any distractions. There were widows crying and carrying on in the room and the first thing he did was send them all out. They were a distraction and they were believing in the death, not in resurrection. Peter was not there to perform for them, he was there to bring glory to God. He had to make sure his priorities were in the right place. Second, "he got down on his knees and prayed". Simple enough, but how many times have I really knelt before the Father and prayed? We do not know what words crossed his lips or his mind. We do not know for how long he knelt at that bedside and prayed. We do know that when he said to the dead woman, "Tabitha, get up." she did! I think that many times we want to rush to that third part, and just say "get up" or "be healed" and we overlook the first two parts. I have been challenged to really take this to heart. To take the distractions and the things that keep me from focusing on Christ and to send them out. Peter didn't just tell the women to stand in the corner and be quiet. He had to send them out. I can't just let other things sit in the corner, tell them to be quiet and that as long as they act like they aren't there, it's okay. It's time to take the authority over these things in our lives that hold us back and send them out for good.