1 At Caesarea there was a man [Gentile] named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.

2 He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

— Acts 10:1-2; 10-11

4 On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”

5 And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.

6 -7 When word reached the king of Nineveh, … he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.

— Jonah 3:4-7,;9-10

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy from Jesus Christ to you.

We might like to ask whether God hears the prayers of unbelievers? We need to realize that God is sovereign and omniscient; He can answer any prayer in any way He desires. He answers prayer in a way that fulfills His will, ways and timing. Though He is not obligated to respond, God certainly knows and hears all prayers. He hears the prayers of those who seek Iim. He responds with the gift of eternal life to the sincere cries of repentance from a sinner who turns to Christ for salvation. With grace and mercy, God knows best how to respond to the prayers of unbelievers. People fail to pray because they do not understand who God is and their need of His saving grace.

We, God children, pray because we love God and constantly rely on His power and grace. Believers need neither fanfare nor a formula to enter into fellowship with the Sovereign Ruler of eternity. God delights for His children to pursue Him in prayer. Nothing we tell God will ever surprise Him of diminish His love to us. Our gift of prayer given by the Lord is truly incredible. God stands ready to listen when we talk to Him. He aligns our hearts to His when we seek Him. We truly have the privilege of regularly and naturally communicating with this great God. Hallelujah! God is ready to heart us when we cry out to Him!