Read Acts 10
Stephanie Sanders
Acts 10:1-8, 24
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
…Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
Cornelius’ story in Acts 10 is one of the first times that we see a Gentile being welcomed by Jewish believers as a follower of Jesus, but there’s a much deeper truth tucked in this story that we may miss if we don’t slow down and pay attention. In these verses, Cornelius is described as devout, fearing God,
giving to others, praying continually, obedient to the message, and expecting Peter to come. The meaning of expect is to believe that someone or something will arrive soon or to regard something as likely to happen. Cornelius models for us what it looks like to live in expectation – he does all the things and then calls his family and friends together and waits for Peter to arrive.
For most of us, waiting – or living in expectation for God to come through on His promises – is more difficult than ‘doing something.’ I am in no way minimizing the importance of our actions, but there is a danger of missing out on what God wants to give us when we try to skip waiting. Because Cornelius and his family waited on Peter, they heard the word, were filled with the Holy Spirit, were baptized in the name of Jesus, and were the first Gentiles to receive the Promise. Just think what would have happened if they had not waited for Peter to arrive.
David reminds us of the importance of waiting in Psalm 27:14: “Wait for and confidently expect the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the LORD.” We can wait because the really good news is that He is waiting for us (Isaiah 30:18).
Prayer Prompt:
Take a few moments and ask the Lord to remind you of one of His promises to you. Write it down. Do you need to slow down, wait for, and confidently expect Him to do what He has promised? Is there anyone you need to call together and tell them what God has promised and ask them to wait with you?
