Have you ever felt like your prayers hit the ceiling and bounce back? Maybe you've wondered if God is really listening when you pour out your heart. The truth is, prayer isn't just about us talking to God—it's about creating space to hear from Him too. And when we truly listen, extraordinary things can happen.
I was reminded of this powerful truth as I studied Acts 10, where two very different men—a Roman centurion and a Jewish apostle—experienced the transformative power of prayer. Their story shows us what can happen when we not only speak to God but also listen for His response.
The Tale of Two Praying Men
In Acts 10, we meet Cornelius, a Roman army officer who "was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God" (Acts 10:2). Though he wasn't yet a Christian, his prayers reached heaven like "an offering" (Acts 10:4).
Meanwhile, Peter—a Jewish apostle with deeply ingrained cultural and religious biases—was also a man of prayer. When these two prayer warriors' paths crossed, God orchestrated a revolutionary moment in Christian history.
Cornelius: A Man Who Sought God
Cornelius wasn't your typical candidate for a spiritual breakthrough. As a centurion in the Roman army, he commanded 100 soldiers—a position that required exceptional character and leadership skills.
Military life meant constant movement. As I thought about this, I realized: "When this happened in Cornelius' life, he was already a good man...but he wasn't saved. He did not have a personal relationship with Jesus." Yet God was positioning him to become an influencer for the Kingdom in multiple locations.
What made Cornelius stand out?
Despite all these admirable qualities, something was missing. If good works could save us, "why in the world did God's Holy Spirit tell him to send down for Peter to come and preach to him?" The foundation wasn't there yet. The relationship wasn't there. He needed Jesus.
Peter: Learning to Listen to God
Peter had his own journey with prayer. While staying at Simon the tanner's house, he went up to the rooftop to pray around noon. While there, God gave him a vision that would forever change his understanding of the gospel.
"He saw the sky open and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, birds. And a voice said to him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat them'" (Acts 10:11-13).
Peter's immediate response revealed his religious conditioning: "No, Lord. I've never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean" (Acts 10:14). But God was teaching him something profound: "Don't call something unclean if God has made it clean" (Acts 10:15).
This wasn't just about food. God was preparing Peter for a much bigger lesson—that no person is unclean or unworthy of God's love.
When Prayer Paths Cross, History Changes
When these two praying men finally met, something extraordinary happened. Peter, breaking Jewish custom by entering a Gentile home, declared: "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right" (Acts 10:34-35).
As Peter shared the gospel message, "the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles too" (Acts 10:44-45).
This moment—often called the "Gentile Pentecost"—opened the door for the gospel to spread beyond Jewish communities to the entire world. And it all happened "because two guys prayed. Two very different guys. But they prayed. And their prayer incorporated listening to what God had to say."
The Power of Listening Prayer
I believe the most profound lesson from this story is about the nature of prayer itself. "We pray, but we don't listen. We talk, but we don't listen."
"Can you imagine having any kind of earthly relationship that was characterized by that? The best times in my life are when I'm listening to my wife. Sometimes it amazes me how smart she is and how much insight she has. I just need to shut my mouth up every once in a while and listen to what she has to say."
The same principle applies to our relationship with God. If Peter hadn't listened during his prayer time, "he would have missed out on perhaps the greatest lesson outside of his salvation experience that God was ever going to teach him."
Life Application: Developing a Listening Prayer Life
How can we become people who not only speak to God but also hear from Him?
God is still speaking today, and He's still using ordinary people who pray. The question is: are we listening? As I've learned in my own prayer life, "Prayer is as much about listening to God as it is talking to Him."
When we truly listen in prayer, we might just find ourselves, like Peter and Cornelius, at the center of God's next great movement.