Two Things That Get God’s Attention

Acts 10:4

And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

We don't know the conversion of Cornelius of how he got the Gospel so that he could be saved, but we do see the results of the Gospel in his life. He had been saved but had not been baptized. One afternoon, he saw a vision, and an angel of God came to him to tell him that he needed to send men to Joppa to bring get Peter so that he could tell them the next step of what they needed to do as believers.

However, there is one statement that shows why the Lord was so interested in getting people to Cornelius and those with him who were also saved. The Scriptures say, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. Cornelius was a giving man. In fact, the Scriptures say that he gave much alms. Cornelius had a giving heart, and that got God’s attention. Not only did Cornelius have a giving heart, but he prayed to God alway. Both giving and praying were the actions that got God’s attention.

Giving and praying are two essentials of the believer’s life that show their investment of heart and commitment to God. If Cornelius had only given alms, that would not have gotten God’s attention. If he had only prayed, again, that likely would not have gotten God’s attention as we read in the Scriptures. It was both giving and praying that caught God’s attention to help him.

You show me your heart toward giving, and I will show you your heart toward God. Those who squawk negatively about tithing are likely squawking because they are not tithing. Tithing is a New Testament command just as much as it was an Old Testament command. Luke 11:42 says, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. You will notice that Jesus did not condemn the Pharisees for tithing; rather, He said that we are not to leave the other undone. This statement is a command. You cannot get God’s attention in a positive manner if you are not obeying His command to tithe.

Moreover, you also show your heart in how much you are willing to pray. Praying is investing not only your heart in God but also your time. It was not that Cornelius had a short prayer time daily that got God’s attention, but it was that he prayed to God alway. Cornelius didn't just have a prayer time, but he had a prayer life. God always hears the prayers of His children, but the child of God who has a prayer life is the child of God who will get more from God through prayer.

Now, why are these two things critical to catching God’s attention? Because both of these show the heart of the believer, the trust of the believer, and their commitment to God. When God sees you are willing to invest your heart, trust, and commitment to Him, it will always get His attention.

Let me ask: do you get God’s attention? Are you a giving person? Do you have a prayer life or a prayer time? If you are not giving your tithes to God, you will struggle to get God’s attention. However, if you are not praying alway, you will also struggle to get God’s attention. Become the believer who gives their tithes to God and is always praying, and you will see more prayers answered.