Ready to listen
Acts 10:33"So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
READY TO LISTEN: Today how many can say, "Lord, I am ready to listen to your voice through this devotion!?" When you read with that humble attitude then God can unravel His mystery to you. Are you hearing me? Many read like, "so what does she have to tell today", or how long or they just pick and choose what they want...With such recklessness you can never benefit. Every bit I write is from the presence of God. Don't rebel or mock the preacher, he is a messenger from God.
The introduction we get about Cornelius is that “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” God knows a true seeker and He would never fail to reveal Himself to him. Amen.
Lord, teach us to pray……..
Luke 11:1 “And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray….”
I love this! I guess the disciples watched the Master pray earnestly, sincerely, powerfully and mightily that, when He ceased, one of His disciples rushed to Him and said that they wanted ‘that power’. Do you want that power too? Youngsters would run to me after the meeting and ask me to teach the ways to pray long, to be in His presence long and to tarry in prayer. If you had not mastered the art of prayer then you may not be able to teach. The preacher needs to learn it first!
I remember hearing a preacher say during his sermon, “spend at least little time every day in prayer”. I wanted to scream and say, “not little but God wants more of us everyday”. How could we say, ”Jesus I love you” and not spend much time with Him? How could we so daringly deny prayer and call ourselves as Christians? May be you do not understand the secrets of prayer but we could al least come to Jesus like his disciples and say, “Lord, teach us to pray”!
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He says in Luke 11:2 “…When you pray, say Our Father in heaven…” Obviously the Lord’s Prayer was not given to be just be recited as a ritual. Our Lord had given us a formula on ‘how to pray’. It is sad to watch Christians recite the Lord’s prayer blindly without understanding the rich meaning behind His words. Prayer is a private talk with God! Jesus says in Matthew 6:6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
We need to shut ourselves with God in prayer. Leonard Ravenhill said (“While Revival Tarries”, Chapter 2, Prayer Grasps Eternity) “No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shop-window to display one’s talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off.” It is so heart rending to watch people neglect the most vital need in their life and that is prayer. Ultimately the reason for the lack of prayer is spiritual lethargy and laziness. Why is it that many struggle in the area of prayer? Why do they find it so hard? Why do they read 1000 books on “how to pray” but spend not a single minute in prayer? Because they don’t know God much, they don’t love Him much as to leave behind everything else and come to Him to talk to Him.
I would like to share here my experience of meeting an aged mom and her son during a train journey, who were hindu believers and I was literally shaken by their passionate love for their gods. He had the head-phone plugged to his ears and was listening to music, most part of the journey. After a tremendous struggle of silently wrestling in prayer for him, I got to speak to him for some time. He said that he utters praises to his gods more than thousands times during the day. He does not watch movies nor listen to movie songs, he is engaged 24/7 praising his gods. Besides doing this, everyday he sweeps and cleans the temple near his home. He said, ‘serving his god and praising him all the time is the passion in his life.’ While I see complacent Christians all around 33
me, who do not care to spend a minute in prayer or separate time to read His Word, such words from a hindu man just blew me up. Since Christians are sleeping and snoring without praising the real God, the devil has stolen the worship. Jesus said in Mathew 15:9”And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. " I used to be invited often to a church, whenever I visited that particular city; I was surprised by the frequent change in their worship timings, each time I visit, it would be different. One day during the service, the Senior Pastor of the church enquired the church if the recent change in timings were convenient to them; half the church came late, though. Wicked people will never change, even if the church makes a thousand changes for their benefit! My heart is gripped with a bit of urgency for today's churches, they are like mushrooms growing rapidly; BUT is God really moving in their midst????
Back when I was a working, young mother with a teenage daughter and an infant to take care of, I would do all my homework of pressing the clothes and getting the next day breakfast items ready, on Saturday evening itself, to attend church the next day at 7.30 am. I would pray to God that I should be in the seat at 7.25 am sharp; we did make it most of the times. I would hold my infant son ( he is now an Associate pastor, writer and Gospel singer) on my shoulders and wait eagerly to hear what God has got for me that day. God watched our passion and commitment and gave us a church of our own several years later.
VISIONS: Visions are not for your excitement or enhance your status but it is for an assignment! Chapter 10 is full of thrilling incidents of an angel directly visiting Cornelius and instructs him to call Peter. On the other hand Peter has a vision of a large sheet coming down from heaven with animals, reptiles and birds. Look at this! However, both of them did not major on the visions or brag on how great and spiritual they are but both of them were keen to listen to God and fulfill His purpose. Hallelujah! Cornelius told Peter: “we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” Wow, what an attitude! God used both these wonderful men to bring revival among the gentiles, it was in Cornelius’s household that God publicly opened the doors of the church to the Gentile world. Hallelujah!
Today propaganda of visions would take over than listening to God. "I saw a vision" is common phrase today....
Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 5:1"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong."
My testimony:Just after salvation, 20 years back, I went at 10 am in the morning for a prayer meeting in a large auditorium arranged by Prophet Ezekiah Francis; however, we were told he will come at 2 pm in the afternoon. We waited, just before prophet could come, I went down on my knees, with tears rolling down my cheek, oblivious to the crowd, I prayed, "Lord, speak to me!" God did speak, clear and loud!
