The Prayer of Cornelius

UV 516/10,000 Acts 10 v 31 The Prayer of Cornelius Act 10:31 “And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God” Cornelius was a high ranking Roman soldier, a centurion who had command over a hundred soldiers. He was a man of prayer. He gave generously to the poor and his acts of charity were held in rememberance in the sight of God. He was neither a Jew nor an early Christian. Yet, the Lord heard his prayer and remembered his good deeds. He sent an angel that directed him to invite the chief apostle Peter to his house to hear all that the Lord wanted him to do. He sent an armed escort of three soldiers to bring Peter to his house. Yesterday, a man of God called to wish me on my birthday and said that the Lord has called me to do a ministry like Cornelius, to spend time in prayer and to help the needy. For many years I had modeled my life on Cornelius and spent lots of time in prayer and doing what I could to help those I encounter in the course of my work. But, this was yet another confirmation sent by the Lord. Our constant prayers and our acts of service, obedience and charity are the building blocks of a memorial before God’s eyes. When He sees it, He remembers us and He sends His angels to visit us with a direct message from Him. We can be assured that all our prayers are heard by Him and all our petitions answered. Though Cornelius was a just and God-fearing man, a generous person, a person who always prayed, his understanding of God was limited- so much so, on seeing Peter, he fell to the ground and worshipped him. But, Peter asked him to stand explaining that he too was a mere man. Peter then led him into a full understanding of the gospel. For Peter and the Jews from Joppa who accompanied him too, this incident led to an expansion of their faith. Peter realized for the first time that in every nation, any person who feared God and worked for righteousness is acceptable in the sight of God. But, it is God’s will that they be led into a full understanding of who He truly is. Prateep V Philip