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Acts Reading Plan | Week 8 | Day 4
Prayer
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Take a moment to pause, to calm your body and mind. After a moment of quiet, pray and ask God to draw near to you in this time and you come near to Him.
Bible Reading: Acts 10:1-8
Read these verses three times slowly.
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Reflection & Questions
As we get to the middle of Acts, the gospel is spreading so much now throughout the world, that a Roman centurion, a soldier, is converted. Incredible! Cornelius’ story is wonderful – there are so many little details to his faith… From his alertness to God speaking to him (“What is it, Lord?”), to him telling his servants everything that happened. But perhaps one detail is most impressive.
Luke tells us Cornelius “prayed to God regularly.” Here’s a Roman commander taking time from his busy schedule to pray. And critically, it seems that during one of those times is when he had a vision from God. What if he had missed that day? What if he hadn’t prayed regularly? Would he still have had a vision? Obviously, we don’t know. But what we do know is that he was regularly putting himself in a place where God could speak to him.
When we blaze through life, telling ourselves we are too busy to stop and pray, too busy to spend time with our Maker, we’re missing out on the opportunity to hear His voice and His guidance. Cornelius was a commander with a lot on his plate, but for him and his family, regular times with God were a must. Let’s follow his example and give God room to speak to us.
- Do you find it difficult to carve out time to regularly pray?
- What steps could you take this week to remind yourself to pause and pray at times throughout the day?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
