A Needle That Saved the World
The needle that saved the world was owned by a simple woman, used by God. How is that possible? Think about this poem.
Shamgar had an ox goad. David had a sling.
Dorcas had a needle; Rahab had a string.
Samson had a jawbone; Aaron had a rod
Mary had some ointment. All were used for God.
Most of us know about David. We’ve heard about Mary and her ointment. So who was Dorcas? This is the only part of the Bible that she is mentioned, so we do not know very much about her. We DO know that she was a resident of Joppa and her name was Tabitha (translated to Greek it means Gazelle–sleek fast, love, graceful, charming). We also know she was always doing good, helping the poor and the widows. And she was a seamstress.
She was Greek, so she was not raised a Jew. That made her one of “those people.” And yet, she had become a follower of Jesus the Christ. She must have been important to the congregation because two of the men begged Peter to come and perform a miracle–to raise Dorcas.
Saving the World–One Gentile at a Time
Up to this time, Peter would only preach to the Jews. Any other population could not possibly be worth enough to hear the words of Jesus or even be followers. But then, he met these widows who were mourning the loss of a disciple in their midst. After he resurrected Dorcas by the power of the living God, something happened to Peter.
It was AFTER that unsettling incident that Peter began to change his way of thinking. He had visions that were about clean and unclean food, another strict Jewish law that separated them from the Gentiles. But it was God’s way of telling him that He has made all things–clean and unclean–and it was not up to Peter to determine their worthiness. Then, Peter had the opportunity to witness to another group of Gentiles–Romans.
But before Peter could tackle the preaching to the Romans, he first had to see the spirit and heart of Dorcas and what a simple needle can do for the kingdom of God. And ONLY then could the people throughout the world begin to hear the good news of Jesus.
It began with a needle–Dorcas needle that saved the world. David had a sling, So ask yourself “What is that in YOUR hand?”
