READING: Acts 9-11
“Peter went up to pray on the housetop.”
Acts 10:9
As much as I believe in prayer, I don’t always pause long enough when I’m reading the Word to focus on what it says about prayer. Today’s reading reminded me again of the significance of prayer. Think about the prayers that echo throughout these chapters:
- Both Saul and Ananias have conversations with the Lord in Acts 9. Both are miraculous encounters that include the Lord’s capturing their attention in incredible ways, but the fact remains that Jesus is a Lord who wants to communicate with His people.
- Ananias would find Saul “praying there” (Acts 9:11) when he encountered him. Apparently, his prayer position would be a helpful sign for Ananias as he sought the man who had previously been murdering believers.
- The miracle of Peter’s raising Dorcas (Tabitha) to life again occurred as he “knelt down” and “prayed” (Acts 9:40).
- Though not yet a believer, Cornelius was a devout man who “always prayed to God” (Acts 10:2). In fact, he received his vision about seeking Peter while he was praying (Acts 10:30-32;see also Acts 11:13-14).
- Peter “went up to pray on the housetop” (Acts 10:9) just before he received his history-changing vision that the gospel was for all people (see also Acts 11:5).
Apparently, the early church learned to pray as Jesus had prayed. They were, as Luke showed in the second volume of his Luke-Acts work, a people with prayer in their DNA. May God help us to be that kind of praying church as well.
ACTION STEPS:
- Pray for your church to be a praying church.
- Do your part by being a praying church member today.
PRAYER: “God, make us a praying people, fully dependent on You and deeply in love with You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Acts 12-14