Acts 10:30-31 "And Cornelius said, 'Four days ago, about this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel, saying 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.'"

I have written about Cornelius and his angelic visitor before, but today I think I got this as a reminder that our prayers are heard and our alms remembered, even though we don't often have angels come and tell us that. I have been praying a long time for some things, like my children's return to the faith. I also almost daily encounter or hear of situations that seem to require divine intervention, and I pray hard for them, too. I was weaving such prayers through my morning prayer this morning for a woman I met yesterday who is in a somewhat dire situation. I then picked up the Bible to do my journal and got this message.

The angel appeared to Cornelius because Cornelius would not have otherwise known to send for Peter; God's messenger had to give him that instruction. God does not generally step in to our prayers in such a grand way as sending angels to tell us we are being heard. Such encounters are reserved for when they are absolutely necessary. When we read of them, though, they reinforce our faith that God is always listening and always bringing His plan to fruition in the background. His plan is better than anything we can come up with, so while we pray, we trust that He hears our prayers and is answering them in the best way possible.

I will do my best to help the woman I met yesterday, and to guide and love my children, and to resolve any other situations for which I pray. I will strive to be the best version of myself I can be, while all the time praying for God's perfect will to be done in all of our lives. While doing so, I know that my prayers are being heard and my alms remembered. I know that God's plan is being brought forth, partly due to the "fuel" I am providing through my prayer, in ways I cannot expect or imagine.