It is written by THE SPIRIT in Acts chapter 3:
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
How many of us lose hope when we are dealing with a sickness, disease, or a malfunction in our body for an extended period of time? Do we settle in to the notion that we must simply suffer and get by for the rest of our life with the physical issue? This lame man was well known for his physical deformity because he grew up being lame and had to be carried around all his life. It became a custom for him to be taken to the gate of the temple to ask for alms so that he could live off the willingness of others to support him. What better place to ask for help than at the entrance to the temple at the hour of prayer. Would you be able to pray in good conscience if you had disregarded this man’s need?
Both Peter and John were in unity with those who had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, continuing daily with one accord in the temple. Many signs and wonders were wrought by the disciples and those who received the baptism continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. This unity prepared the disciples for the next recorded event at the temple- confronting the lame man:
3 who (the lame man), seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Notice that the lame man immediately received healing for his deformity from birth and the necessary strength and ability to walk and leap. There was no delay in learning to walk or leap for he was given the necessary means to physically act without going through the normal learning stage as babies and toddlers do. His sense of balance was miraculously given to him in order for there to be no delay. It is no wonder he was praising GOD.
This miracle could not be rationalized away by alternative ideas and theories of the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees. They could not deny the miracle of what just happened in their midst. The veracity of what Peter and John were preaching was confirmed among the people so they knew their message was not just another idea or theory, it was the exact Truth and they had to deal with the reality of this Truth.
How long had the lame man had his condition? In Acts chapter 4:
22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
We must not give up hope if we are currently suffering with a chronic condition, even if it is from birth. FATHER’S Agape Love isn’t restricted by elapsed time and we should prepare ourselves with the hope and expectation of a miraculous restoration. FATHER can and will remove any “spot or wrinkle” for those who Love HIM and there will be no exceptions, not even if we have suffered four decades or longer.