Just Like Peter and Cornelius

 They were just praying.  It was the hour of Jewish prayer, so of course, they were praying.  They were not necessarily praying for what happened that day, to happen.  That's the shock of it all.  God honored their prayerfulness and godliness, though.  However, if  they hadn't been talking to God and expecting Him to speak with them, they may not have had or seen their visions because of the busyness and distractions of their lives.

Peter and his roof top vision of unclean food and Cornelius' vision to go find Peter at Simon the Tanner's were the powerful links the angel of God set in motion.  God was going to explode His audience coverage range.  The message of salvation was not going to be kept under the wraps of the Jewish banner, it was time to go forth into all the world, starting with that Gentile, Roman God-fearer, Cornelius.

God's ways are certainly wonderful, mysterious and amazing.   Doesn't it give you ripples of joy to think of how God orchestated all this?   I smile happily as I write about it.  He is so ingenius.

The thing is...we sing about a "sweet hour of prayer" and "a little talk with Jesus" but we need to examine ourselves and count the seconds we do spend talking to the Lord.  Do you count them only on one hand?  If we expect to hear from the Lod - we must give Him a bigger chance to do so.

Note that both Peter and Cornelius were following the Jewish hour of prayer time; there were three a day!  It's not that heaven's window of time is only at specified times - no; our Heavenly Father's ear is listening all the time.  Nevertheless, it is good to also have scheduled times of serious, get-down-to it, appointments with the Lord.

Was thinking of Geoge Muller - a warrior of prayer who indeed "moved mountains".  With him it wasn't certain set times of prayer but more that "praying without ceasing" type, in his den.  It was more  that he had only a set time of not praying in which other people could try to get a word in edgewise with him.

We are all different but the point is, are we in tune with our Heavenly Father, leaning and depending upon Him, communing with Him in the name of Jesus - just to be in His presence.  One never knows what revelations He'll share with us, or what missions He'll send us on.

Ha, ha.  Maybe that's what we are afraid of.  Peter was going against all custom and law of his Jewish upbringing and later on he was called into question for it too.  Questioning despite what had happened with Cornelius and his household.  You may have some explaining to do too, but that's the wild ride God may take some of us on, if our ears are attentive and our hearts are open through spending swathes of time with Him...just like Peter and Cornelius.

                                                  ~ERC  October 2021~

Based on Acts 10:1-33.