“So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” (Acts 10:33 NAS95)
I love the citation of Cornelius’s words to Peter and what it reflects. Cornelius knew he lived and walked in a world awash with God’s personal presence. Immersed might be a better word for it. He also recognized God speaks through human instruments, and in this case, Peter. The uncommon in the common, the supernatural in the natural, made visible. While Cornelius had prayed and heard from God, his words betray the assumption of God’s presence everywhere.
We know the rest of the story. Cornelius with his whole household believed the witness Peter gave to the life of Jesus and entered His Kingdom. Cornelius challenges me, just as Jesus does, to consider the presence of God always with me, to expect God through prayer, and to receive Him in the common. Prayer was a lifestyle for Cornelius (Acts 10:2) and it allowed him to see and receive God’s works. I long to have such a prayerfully attentive heart to God as I enter this new year and to expect His work.
For Reflection:
“How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.” (Psalms 65:4 NAS95)
- How easy is it for you to maintain an attentive heart to God’s presence in your day?
- As the new year rolls in, what would you desire to see develop or change in your ways of interacting with God?
