Day 20
Acts 10:1-4
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”
So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
Once again we switch scenes and this time end up in the house of a pagan, at least what the Jews would have called a pagan. He was a nice pagan. He was a good pagan. He was the kind of man that even the Jews would admire, for a pagan. He respected God. He gave alms. He prayed. And, he was also a man of authority who used his position in such a way that we see that he had a good reputation throughout the nation of Israel.
The man was a man of prayer. We are told that he prayed always, but we are also told that at this particular time he was praying was the ninth hour. If we remember back several chapters we also remember that it was the ninth hour that Peter and John were going up to the temple. It was an hour of prayer. So this man was truly devout and adhered to the Jewish traditions and customs of prayer respected by the most zealous.
It was at this time that Cornelius had a vision. As he prayed he saw an angel. An angel that was sent specifically to him and called him by name. He told him that “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.”
It is not unusual to hear people talk about feeling like their prayers just don’t get through. That they feel as if they are bouncing off the ceiling or as if they had hit a glass ceiling. Perhaps there are times that it feel like nothing gets through. Perhaps that efforts in prayer, service and desire for closeness with God somehow goes ignored or unnoticed. Yet we have encouragement from God’s word that this is not so.
Here is a man suddenly and supernaturally visited by and angel and told that his prayers have been heard. In fact, they are said to have come up for a memorial before God. They have not gone unnoticed. They have not been ignored. They have been saved and remembered as a memorial. As something special and good set up to carefully record, preserve and enshrine.
This is not the only place in scripture that we see this. In Revelation 5, we see the souls under the altar crying for justice from God, yet God tells them wait till the number of martyrs is complete. God has not forgotten. He waits the right time. We also see in Revelation that there are censers to be offered up. They are the prayers of the saints offered to God saved for this time and season. And again in Psalms, the psalmist records that God collects his tears in a bottle and records them in His book.
God has heard. He has remembered. Even this pagan that serves God but has not yet believed in Jesus... his prayers are a memorial before God. He hears the heart of a devout unbeliever. He will certainly hear and remember the prayers of His children. He waits for just the right time. He know just what we need and when we need it. He stores up our prayers for His time, season and glory. We should never be discouraged but pray always knowing that He will remember and answer just as He has promised.
Prayer Requests Day 20
1) Bible Study for Young Families - That we would also see a Bible study start among young families. 1. For at least one person to begin the study with 2. For others then to join to that study 3. For friends, acquaintances and others to be open to attending 4. For wisdom as (hopefully) many of these will have small children
2) Phil & Yvonne - hope to see a Fall Bible Study in Mokronog. There are people that have shown interest but during the summer there have been obstacles to beginning the study. They have already completed a post-abortion study in this town and this study is the outgrowth of that.
3) Nathan and Dawn Detweiler - provision and preparation during their deputation time, timely arrival in Slovenia (planned for early 2009), integration into team, language study, cultural adaptation, grace for life "on field"
4) Jim preaching tomorrow.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
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