Divine Appointments
“The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’”
Acts 11:12-14 (NLT)
This week we’ll discover the amazing miracle of what I call “Divine Appointments.” A Divine Appointment is when a seeking soul crosses the path of a willing witness and experiences the forgiveness of a gracious God. If you’ve experienced one you know how miraculous and life-changing it is! There’s nothing else like the thrill that you feel when God is at work in and through your circumstances to arrange an encounter with Him! The unique effect of a divine appointment is the way in which God works. Whether you are the seeking soul or the willing witness, you both experience God. Through divine appointments, God reveals Himself to both parties leading them to a deeper and more personal and intimate understanding of who He is and what He alone can do. Both walk away changed! Both enter a deeper dimension in their relationship with God and each other.
Such was the case with Peter, and a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment in a city called Caesarea. Peter was about 30 miles north in a town called Joppa. He was in prayer around noon on the rooftop of the home where he was staying. While in prayer, God gave Peter a vision that prepared him for his divine appointment with Cornelius. Through a set of circumstances that only God could engineer, Peter accompanied the men that Cornelius sent to invite him to his home. This army captain was seeking God. He’s a great example of a seeking soul and the promise that God has given that He “rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” in Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) and in Jeremiah 29:13,14a (NLT) where God says, “If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. ‘I will be found by you,’ says the Lord.’”
God connected Peter and Cornelius to show them both a deeper understanding of who He is in a miraculous way. Peter, a Jew, would have never entered a Gentile’s home were it not for a vision he received in prayer. A willing witness is a person of prayer. They look for where God is at work and are restfully available and instantly obedient to His call. When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ home, he found him and his entire household of relatives and close friends awaiting him and ready to hear whatever message he had to deliver that the Lord had given him. Peter’s message was short and to the point. He spoke of having peace with God and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. As he spoke, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening, and they all received Christ and were baptized! This was a huge turning point in the infant church that began at Pentecost when Peter preached his first sermon. The audience there was Jewish. Now the gospel was spreading and bridging racial and ethnic barriers.
In this divine appointment, God revealed His Son to Cornelius and his household. They were all saved! But that’s not all. Peter learned something as well. “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism ….” (Acts 10:34 NLT). Pray today for God to lead you to a divine appointment. Look for where He is at work. Be open to learn deeper truths as you obey His voice.
Pray for hundreds of Divine Appointments on all our Woodlands Church campuses this weekend as we celebrate life change at Super Summer Baptism 2! There’s still time to register for baptism this weekend if you haven’t taken that step in your faith journey! Join the celebration and register now!
As you do, check out this Divine Appointment from last year’s Super Summer Baptism and how God miraculously worked in her life.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.