“…your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”
Acts 10:4
Cornelius, the centurion from Ceasarea, prayed to God continually. Now on a certain day his prayers came before God as a memorial. As Cornelius prayed a most historic event was about to unfold, an event which would lead to the kingdom of God being extended to my people, that is, to the gentiles. This massive, history-altering event was inaugurated by the prayer of a devout centurion. The unfolding of this event was continued as another man, Simon Peter, was also attending to prayer on the roof Simon the Tanner.
The prayer lives of these two men were the medium through which God brought about this wonderful, destiny-directing event. I’m glad these two men were praying and that God used their prayers in accomplishing His glorious plan.
But it was not just the particular prayer made on this certain day that God heard and responded to. It says that God “remembered” all of Cornelius’s prayers and good deeds, and as a result, sent His angelic messenger. It is an awesome thing to know that God remembers all my prayers. It is wonderful enough that God promises to give me daily bread as I ask for it in prayer. Each day God’s promises of grace, faith, hope and power are made available through prayer. Receiving these gifts by prayer is a wonderful merciful and glorious part of my inheritance in Christ.
Yet look at what a multiplier of grace takes place in prayer; not only do I receive my daily needs through prayer, but each day’s prayers are also “stored up” and remembered by God as a memorial. Not only so, but all the prayers of the saints will one day rise up in golden bowls of incense before the Lord. What an encouragement to pray! Not only am I going to receive my daily bread of communion with God, but each day’s prayers are also remembered by God! How sobering that each day’s prayers will be added to a memorial that will one day come before the Lord and play a role in the consummation of the kingdom of God!
O my soul, pray! Pray daily for your daily needs, but remember that when praying day-by-day, that your praying is adding up to a memorial. God does not forget yesterday’s prayer or the day’s, week’s, month’s and year’s before. Build a memorial O my soul, a memorial of praise to God as you pray each day for your daily bread. In Jesus name. Amen.
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