Day 20: Cosmic Connections (Acts 10:1-29)
Today’s Passage: Acts 10:1-29
The word cosmic conjures up all sorts of images. Pictures from the Hubble Telescope pop into my head.
For some highly precise folks, they read the word cosmic and assert it describes things beyond earth, in other words, earth is not included. Others argue the earth is part of the universe, and therefore the cosmos.
Then there are folks who practice cosmic spirituality, which is a religion that flows from humans figuring out the mysteries of the universe.
You can find all this stuff on google, and in minutes become an expert.
Why am I writing about cosmic connections? Because there is a really cool thing God is doing that transcend space and time. He does it every day. The text today gives us a real-life example.
What do you notice in the text today? For me, I notice:
· Cornelius was a person, who while not perfect, seems to have lived a life intentionally oriented towards God.
· Peter was praying, in what seems like a very intentional way. He went to a specific place at a specific time.
· God connected and challenged both of these intentional people.
God’s connection challenged both men to move outside their comfort zone.
Notice, Cornelius carefully selected who would go find Peter. The text says two servants and a devout soldier. Cornelius must be wondering what this situation is all about. I imagine, a Roman solider, in charge of 100 other Roman soldiers/citizens, worshipping a God other than Caesar, is in a delicate position.
Then, of course there is Peter. His life at this point is a whirl-wind. Maybe he is getting used to moving here-and-there going to different Jewish people. But now he has this crazy dream, and a Roman soldier shows up on his doorstep. In the text, God makes sure Peter responds, verses 19-23 show his direct intervention.
Imagine the scene when Peter finally arrives at Cornelius’ home. It is full of people. This military man of some import falls on his knees before a Jew—Roman Centurions don’t do that. Peter equally points out that Jews don’t associate with Gentiles.
Everyone is out of their comfort zone.
[If you want to get a sense of where Peter is running around, and see some pictures and a map, you can click here.]
In Post 11 I shared that you need to be careful what you pray for, and in Post 19 I noted that Peter’s heart was for the lost to come to know God.
Today we read of Cornelius’ heart, a heart that was in awe of God.
Today we see God move—connecting these two intentional godly people, whose hearts desire are exactly in line with God’s hearts desire.
My point in all of this is simply God connects people who intentionally seek Him, He connects them through time and space. He connects them in person, He connects them through books, He connects them through technology. But none of this is a coincidence. God is at work.
He won’t leave you hanging out there if you are intentional with Him. He may make you wait. He may have to do other things in your life to shape you so you are ready, but He will not forsake you.
I wonder if you believe that? Do you believe God is connecting intentional people? Not “God can…”, but “God is connecting”.