Being Open to God and Others in Prayer: The Example of Cornelius

Scripture — Acts 10:1–8 (NRSV)

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

Devotion

In yesterday’s devotion, I discussed Cornelius’s practice of giving alms and its connection to his life of faith and work. Today, I would like to look at his practice of prayer. It might seem obvious that prayer should be a part of a leader’s life of faith and work—similar to saying that Christian leaders should read their Bibles. Of course, we should do both those things, but I’d like to dig a little deeper to see what we learn about how Cornelius prays.

Cornelius prays to the God of the Jews at 3 o’clock, which is the customary Jewish time for prayers and sacrifice (see Acts 3:1). This is surprising because he is a gentile soldier, which suggests that Cornelius has adopted these practices as a result of engaging Jewish ways of life through his work. These two facts reveal something about those under authority, as well as those with authority. For those under authority, faithfulness in prayer and living out a life of discipleship can impact those who are above you. Consistency in prayer and other spiritual disciplines can be a form of leading up within an organization or community.

But Cornelius’s prayer practices also reveal that he, as someone with authority, is open to God’s presence among those under his authority. Instead of thinking he knew more or had everything figured out because of his position and power, he was open to growing and being changed through his encounters with others in his work. It is perhaps well known that leaders should be open to the gifts of those we lead—their ideas, questions, passions, etc. But how open are we to God’s work among them? How open are we to learn to pray differently or experience God differently because of how God is at work in their lives?

Not only is Cornelius open to God’s work in the lives of those he leads, but his life of prayer has also made him open to the work God wants to do in his life. It is during prayer that an angel of God appears to him and instructs him to send men to find Simon Peter in Joppa—a command that Cornelius immediately obeys. Though we aren’t given the details, it seems that Cornelius did not fill his prayer time only with talking to God, but created space to listen quietly for God to speak.

What it means to listen to and hear from God is a complicated process. I have found comfort in the stories of Charlie and Adrea, two faithful disciples in my local church who are in the third third of life. Adrea says that she often feels the Spirit’s promptings to do things, such as talk to her neighbor, join a Bible study, or invite someone to church. These are physical promptings and stirrings of her spirit that she experiences and has learned to act on. In contrast, her husband Charlie says he has never felt such a prompting. For him, he simply gets clarity on what needs to get done, and goes to do it. But, looking back over the experience in time, he can see evidence of God’s guidance and presence throughout.

In my own life, I have found prayer practices like Lectio Divina and the Prayer of Examen incredibly helpful in listening to God’s guidance for my life. Prayer practices like these have times for speaking to God about what’s going on in my life, while also times for listening to God through Scripture and silence. And while I don’t think I have ever heard God audibly speak to me or had a vision of an angel, the movement between speaking and listening often makes me aware of emotions, desires, and fears that I need to acknowledge and pray through. These times and practices also provide moments of clarity for how I want to align my life and work to God’s kingdom.

Prayer is an important part of our lives of faith, work, and leadership. But our prayer life should make us open to those we lead, inspire those who lead us, and cultivate an ability to obey God’s call to come and follow in all aspects of who we are and what we do.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Surprise, Surprise! at the Mysterious Work.