Just before this, Peter and John have participated in the healing of a man who had never been able to walk. This man is now walking, leaping, and praising God. Everyone gathers around to witness the spectacle and Peter reminds them that it is not through their own power that the man has been healed, but that it is the power of God working through them. He then calls them to repentance, the reward of which is a slate wiped clean of sin and a time of refreshment.
Guilt and shame often weigh us down, making it difficult to experience true gratitude and joy. Turning to God and finding assurance in God’s pardon releases us to live in the freedom of beginning again. I’m mindful of the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” and the lyrics, “Morning by morning, new mercies I see.” In the freshness of each new morning is the opportunity to live and love as God intends.
Offer a prayer of repentance for those things you have done and for the things you have failed to do. Allow God to lift the weight of guilt and shame, and feel the refreshment of a new start.