Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. (Acts 20:9-12)
I say, “blessings,” instead of, “good luck.” Blessing is from God and luck isn’t. The name, Eutychus means luck.
While Paul spoke, most were attentive. They didn’t have Bibles, and Paul told them stories about Jesus. The light of the Holy Spirit filled the upper room. It was midnight, but the excitement of hearing God’s word and the power of the Spirit kept these Christians awake.
Eutychus was a believer who didn’t seek God’s power because he was lucky and happy. So God arranged for his luck to change. He fell asleep, tumbled out of the third-floor window, and died. Luck wasn’t enough to return Eutychus to life but God’s power was.
Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16). The presence of the Spirit greatly comforted these Christians after Paul had left.
Father, I praise you for sending the Holy Spirit to live within me. Fill me with the Spirit’s power to comfort me and help me accomplish more than I can on my own today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
If you are walking in a parking lot and find a $100.00 bill laying on the pavement, I would call that good luck. I would take it into the store and give it to customer service, in hopes that the person who lost the money would get it back. I wouldn’t call it a blessing because someone lost something that was probably important to them. I don’t believe God arranged for the person to lose the money, anymore than I would believe that God threw someone out of a third story window to their death. A blessing is something positive and not negative, just as good luck would be something positive. I definitely believe in God’s blessings but it is hard for me to believe that God would intentionally hurt one of His children.
Perhaps I need a rewrite here. I don’t believe God threw someone out of a third story window, but I definitely believe he allowed it to happen. The faith of the young man and Christians there grew because of the incident and all were greatly comforted. No one was hurt.