A Memorial Is Built

“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.” -Acts 10:4

Our nation’s capital is filled with memorials and monuments.  The Jefferson, Lincoln, and Washington to name a few.  They were built to remind us, remind us of history; our history.  Whether it be Presidents who lead us faithfully, battles fought bravely, or crisis we overcame; the memorial stands as a remembrance.  So that we will never forget, and that we may aspire to emulate the character of those who we retain in stone.

Cornelius was a devout Italian man who feared God.  He was not of Jewish decent, and clearly a man of some means and accomplishments.  No doubt there was much that could be attributed to his character, but the Bible takes care to point out this singular point about him.  That his prayers and alms ascended into heaven for a memorial before God.  When you think of the temporal memorial’s built today, they are crafted with stone.  Fashioned with material that is sturdy and will stand the test of time.  For that is the point of a memorial, to stand.  In God’s presence, Cornelius’s memorial was not made with stone, but of prayers and alms.  His devotion to God was so earnest and often that it built up a structure in heaven that God would not ignore.  In my minds eye, I like to imagine that Cornelius was an older man who feared God and prayed often through the years; desiring a deeper relationship, though none could be given.  God looked at his memorial and said, “I have not forgot you.”  Then Jesus Christ comes into the world from a virgin Mary, he is raised up and sent out to preach the gospel.  Crucified on a cruel crossed, laid in a borrowed tomb, only to terry there three days and come out victorious.  All the while, seventy-five miles north, Cornelius is still building his memorial by praying, fasting, and giving.  He is making it so he cannot be ignored.  Fifty days pass in Jerusalem, and while tarrying in the upper room the Holy Ghost sweeps through that place and Peter takes to preaching.  He would preach and save three thousand souls, and the New Testament church would be shot out of that room like a rocket.  All this action is going on in Jerusalem, and Cornelius is still praying.  Finally, one day, Cornelius would go to prayer at the ninth hour, and God would respond in a vision and tell him “thy prayer is heard!”  What a wonderful blessing, to know that your prayer is heard by God.  He would instruct Cornelius to send for Peter, meanwhile God would talk to Peter and get his mind right, and finally they would both meet and have a second Pentecost.  Proving once and for all that God is no respecter of person and he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him.  He didn’t forget about Cornelius and how could he, because a memorial was built.

The devotion and dedication of Cornelius, and the memorial he built serves as an example to us all.  We can impact heaven.  Not just for ourselves but for those around us.  Cornelius saved himself and his whole house.  Most likely, many who read this (including myself) will never have a memorial or monument built in our name or for our sake, but we can have a memorial in heaven.  Not built with stone, but with devotion to Almighty God.