ESOCS Devotional 29 June 2025: Tabitha

ESOCS Devotional 29 June 2025 – Tabitha

MEMORY VERSE: “… and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise” Acts 9: 40

TEXT: ACTS 9:31-43

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

³²Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. ³⁵So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

³⁶At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. ³⁷But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴²And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

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Saul’s conversion is a major turning point in the book of Acts. God claimed his primary missionary to the gentiles and suppressed the fires of Saul’s persecutions. That’s why the story in Acts 9:31–43 can begin as it does: Peter was able to go “here and there among them all” (Acts 9:32) because Saul was no longer persecuting the Church. When we last heard about Peter, he was north of Jerusalem in Samaria dealing with Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8). In his subsequent travels caring for new believers, he came to the saints in Lydda. Saint Aeneas was a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Any hope of natural healing was long gone. So, Peter’s command is audacious: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” Anyone can fake a healing. But if a paralyzed man stands up, God is behind it (Mark 2:9–12). Aeneas stood. And news of God’s power spread quickly.

While Peter was in Lydda, disciples from the neighbouring town of Joppa sought his immediate help. A female disciple, a student of Jesus had become ill and died. That’s not unusual. But this woman was special. There was no one like her for generosity. When Peter arrived, he was taken to the upper room where Tabitha had been washed and lain. As Peter viewed the corpse, her friends showed him the clothes she had made for them and wept over their loss.

But Peter wasn’t solely focused on what Tabitha had done; he was also thinking about what God was about to do. Like Jesus, he dismissed the mourners (Mark 5:40). And he prayed. He knew there was no power in him. Only the energy that raised Jesus from the dead could help this woman now. Peter was a mere instrument. But by faith, he spoke to Tabitha’s body, commanding it to do something impossible – rise from the dead. Her bones weren’t yet dry like the bones Ezekiel once preached to (Ezek. 37:4). But she was as lifeless as a skeleton. Remarkably, as Peter spoke to Tabitha, she heard the enlivening voice of God. So, “She opened her eyes” (Acts 9:40). Her heart started beating. Her chest began to rise and fall. She saw Peter. She sat up. Peter took her hand and helped her stand; he “presented her alive” (Acts 9:41).

Put yourself back in time to a sad funeral you once attended and imagine the deceased coming back to life and sitting up in the casket.

CHALLENGES