Your Answer Lies in Relationship to Others

Acts 10:5, 6 - And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodges with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell you what you ought to do.

    Imagine standing in the very presence of an angel of God, hearing him speak and seeing him a just a few feet away from you. This is what Cornelius experienced. It was, apparently, during a time of prayer that the angel appeared to him. An angel came directly to him; an actual messenger from God was dispatched from heaven to speak to Cornelius. What amazing truth would he reveal? What powerful insights and divine privileges would he share? What celestial mysteries would Cornelius be invited into?

     The angel informs Cornelius that his prayer has been heard. How this must have caused his heart to swell with anticipation and expectation of good. ‘My prayer has been heard. God Almighty has heard my prayer. I have had a hearing in the presence of the Highest’. Cornelius is described to us as a man who prayed to God always. Today we would describe the same type of man as a man of prayer. Prayer is relationship with God not just asking him for things. Prayer includes worship and adoration, and also specific requests and petitions. No doubt Cornelius included both in his lifestyle of prayer.

    ‘Your prayer has been heard’. There is a strong implication that God does not necessarily hear every prayer. However, if God has heard our prayer then he has also provided an answer to it. If we know that he hears us then we know that we have been granted the petition that we have asked of him. I believe that the deepest desire and prayer of Cornelius’ heart was that he would know God fully and also, that he would be able to lead his family into a more intimate relationship with God. He was a man that feared and reverenced God above the average person. So, when the angel said that his prayer had been heard, he would have expected that the next words out of the angel’s mouth would be his answer.

    ‘Call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter’. These instructions from the angel might seem to some people to be a bit of a letdown. An angel with a message from God himself tells Cornelius that he must meet someone and that person will tell you what you need to hear. Why didn’t the angel simply tell him directly? Surely the angel knew what Cornelius needed, however, God has designed his plan to include people. He loves to work through us as we yield and obey his instructions. It is the will of God for us to have God-ordained relationships and connections with others. Cornelius must meet Peter. Peter must also meet Cornelius. God is at work in both of these men’s lives simultaneously, and he uses this powerful meeting to reveal another important aspect of his divine strategy. Not only does Cornelius and his family come into a more complete salvation, but Peter also is undeniably shown that God desires all men of every nation to come into personal relationship and salvation.

    Do not be surprised that when your prayer has been heard that the answer will come by meeting the right people. We cannot fulfill the will of God without others in our life. If we could fulfill the will and plan of God by ourselves, how come we haven’t? This is one of the reasons that I believe so strongly in the power of the local church and being connected to people who know us. I pray that we would have the humility to receive the answer from God through whomever he chooses to use. Get ready for your answer but, just remember, that it may come in the form of an ordinary man named Peter.