Tabitha The Coat Maker | Acts 9:32-43

Takeaway Verse: Acts 9:41

He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.

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Transcription:

Welcome to The Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, “Come to me and I WILL give you rest.” This is us RSVPing: Yes!! to that invitation. So take a deep breath, and let’s get started.

Today’s episode is called, “Tabitha the Coat Maker”. I love her story and I can’t wait to read it with you, but before we dive into the last part of Acts, chapter nine, join me in a word of prayer. Father, we come to you in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus. We thank you, Lord that nothing we do; big, medium, small, escapes you. That your eye is on the Sparrow and you see the things we do in your name and unto you. We thank you that you are in the details, that you love us, that you see us, that you smile on us, and we give you this time. Open our eyes and our hearts to what you want us to see and understand in your word today. It’s in your mighty and precious and beautiful name we pray. Amen. 

Okay. We’re gonna pick it up in Acts chapter nine today. Luke is the author, he was a doctor and a very great writer and I’m so glad he picked up his, you know, pen that he used. I don’t know what it looked like. I always picture the feather dipped into the ink and that he put it to parchment. I’m so thankful for Luke. So we’re picking it up in Acts 9:32. “Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda. There, he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!’ And he was healed instantly.” Wow. “Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.” Isn’t that amazing? “There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was always doing kind things for others, and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, ‘Please come as soon as possible!'” This part really touches me. 

“So Peter returned with them. And as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room. Then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, ‘Get up Tabitha.’ And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!” This is our takeaway verse, verse 41. “He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers and he presented her to them alive. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a Tanner of hides.” 

This story is so, so beautiful. Tabitha was special. She made coats for people. This idea of all of the widows who loved her, showing Peter the coats and the clothes she made absolutely touches my heart. And I wanna share with you some words from A.W. Tozer today, because I think that they fit this story absolutely perfectly. A.W. Tozer was a man who said, “It is not WHAT a person does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is WHY he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart, and he can therefore do no common act.” Making a coat, making a shirt. Those are common acts, but Tabitha, she did them in the name of Jesus. And they became something very special. I picture her, I have no biblical evidence for this, but I picture her as she’s sewing these coats and clothes, praying with every stitch. Maybe she sewed by candlelight, and she was praying over the person who would wear the coat or where the shirt, and God saw her. I know this with all my heart. In the Old Testament, we learn that God is called “the God who sees”. He is the God who sees you, he sees everything you do. And it’s not that he’s watching you to watch you make a mistake so he can go like this. He’s watching you because he can’t take his eyes off you. That’s how much he loves you. 

Imagine you’re in charge of your child. You’re watching your two-year-old or you’re babysitting your niece or nephew, and they’re on the playground and you’re watching them lovingly and carefully because you care about them and love them so much. That’s how God watches you and me. And he sees the things you do in his name, however small they are. I wanna read that last part of A.W. Tozer’s quote, one more time, because it’s so amazing. “Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can therefore do no common act.” Oh, the things you do for the Lord are indeed special and they are seen. Oh boy, until next time remember, you are loved. 

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.