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In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. \u2026when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, \u201cPlease come at once!\u201d Peter 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. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, \u201cTabitha, get up.\u201d She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. (Acts 9:36-41)

Peter learned a few lessons since his encounter with Aeneas just a few verses earlier.

First, he learned the lesson on hospitality that Pastor Michael talked about yesterday. Peter responded to an invitation from strangers to go to an unfamiliar place, even though he didn\u2019t know what he would find. He went with them as they took him to a strange room: an upper room where a woman lay, dead.

When he got there, he took the time to listen to the cries and the stories of the widows and other mourners. He took the time to see the things that they wanted to show him as they tried to explain to Peter what this dead woman had meant to them and how much good she had done for them.

Peter offered Christian hospitality as their guest\u2014being willing to listen, to dwell, and to take a back seat to their lead in this new and unfamiliar place. Because Christian hospitality isn\u2019t always about being the host. Sometimes, it\u2019s about being a hospitable guest. Peter was.

The second lesson Peter learned, and it\u2019s related, is that he isn\u2019t the main character in the story. That probably helped him to be a humble guest. But it also led him to acts of faith, like prayer and life-giving words.

You\u2019ll maybe notice the difference between this story as compared to the story of Aeneas from Monday. In the story of Aeneas, it is God\u2019s action driving the narrative throughout. It is the name of the Lord that\u2019s mentioned everywhere. It\u2019s the Lord\u2019s people, it\u2019s Jesus who is healing, and it is Jesus who draws people to Himself through the living breathing testimony of this man healed.

But in the story of Tabitha, God is not named. What is named is the good that Tabitha did. The grief of the widows. And the prayer of Peter that led to Peter\u2019s word and action in faith to say to the dead woman: \u201cTabitha, get up.\u201d

Our lives often look more like the story of Tabitha than Aeneas though. No mention of God. No glimpses of Jesus at work. No outpourings of the Spirit. Just people living, dying, doing good, trying to help one another and grieve with one another\u2014all in the midst of the ordinary rooms of ordinary houses on ordinary days.

But again, the book of Acts would suggest that there is more stirring under the surface. Under the ordinary story of Tabitha, lies the active God of the story of Aeneas. Even when we don\u2019t see Jesus on the move or the Spirit at work, doesn\u2019t mean that he isn\u2019t. The story of Tabitha invites us to read between the lines and examine the invisible\u2014helping us cultivate the eyes to see the main character of all our stories, even when He isn\u2019t mentioned by name.

Because when you get down to looking, you\u2019ll notice\u2014it\u2019s the living and active God that Peter consults with in prayer. It\u2019s in the power of the Spirit and in the name of Jesus that Peter speaks a word of life that raises a woman from the dead. It is because Tabitha followed this same Lord as a disciple that she was led to do so much good for so many.

So, are you following the story in your own life? The main character is always active, but rarely named or visible. Do you look for Him? Do you talk with Him? Do you follow Him?

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