There was a man named Cornelius, an Italian-Roman battalion commander, who was a God-fearing man. He gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly. Cornelius was a very interesting man. Most Romans prayed and worshiped the Greek gods, but Cornelius prayed to the God of the Bible. He might have heard the God of Jews through interaction with the Jewish people and began to believe in God. While he was praying, God spoke to him through a vision. An angel appeared to him and told him that God had heard his prayers and saw his generosity. The angel told him to send men to Joppa to get Peter. Peter was staying at Simon's, the tanner, house in Joppa. So Cornelius sent two of his trusted soldiers to get Peter. (Acts 10:1-8).
Despite the many gods and idols that the Romans worshipped, Cornelius believed in God. He was devoted to his faith and prayed regularly. Since Cornelius always sought God, God revealed Himself to him and wanted him to meet Peter so that Peter could explain our Lord Jesus to him. In order for Cornelius to fully know God, he must believe in Jesus because Jesus is the only way to our God the Father. God said this through the prophet Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). When we seek God with all of our heart, God will reveal Himself to us and guide us on what we need to do. Too often, we do not seek our Lord enough. We are too busy figuring things out, and if our ways do not work, we begin to seek Him, but we do not take the time to seek Him. God revealed Himself to Cornelius because Cornelius was seeking Him wholeheartedly.
If we truly want to know God, we need to take time to spend time with Him. We cannot rush through our time with Him or give Him our leftover time. We need to seek God when we are fully active so we can pray actively. Here are some ways to spend time with God:
Make time to spend time with God when our mind is active. We may need to wake up early or make time during the day or night.
Do our devotion or read a verse(s) in the Bible. Think through the verse(s) that we are reading. Let the Word of God speaks to our hearts.
Pray directly to our God in the name of Jesus. We need to pray from our hearts and not from memorized prayers. God always looks at our hearts and listens from our hearts every time we pray.
Obey God whatever He reveals to us from His Word.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully and meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you) What does it mean to seek God with all of my heart? Am I willing to make quality time with God? What are the things that I need to do in order for me to make time with God?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, would you please help me to seek you in prayer with all of my heart? Please forgive me if I haven't spent time with you as I should. I allow the business of my days or my laziness to get in the way of spending time with you. Please help me to make time with you so that I may continue to grow in knowing you and your ways. In Your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.