In order to review the text for a message I was preparing, I opened my Bible to a familiar passage in Acts chapter 10. In my pastoral ministry I had been preaching through the Book of Acts, so the story of Cornelius was vivid in my memory. But before I could get into the body of the text, the first five words almost seemed to jump off the page at me. It was as though they were written in bold print and capital letters:Β βTHERE WAS A CERTAIN MAN.β
My mind was suddenly flooded with the realization of the extent of the love of God for man, and the individuality of it. There must have been a lot of people living on the earth during the time of Cornelius, but God was interested inΒ thisΒ certain man. I am sure there were many things that could have captured Godβs attention at that moment, but He was interested in him.
It made me think, with all the things going on in the world today, that we can lose sight of what is importantβbut God never does. He is interested in our lives and desires to be involved in them. God is so great that even with all the trials and turmoil we experience in life we can pray and He will hear our prayers. And He doesnβt justΒ hearΒ them, He is also concerned with our well-being.
You may think that Acts 10 is just the story of how God used Cornelius to illustrate the breaking down of the middle wall of partition in the flesh, and the transition from Godβs kingdom program to His program of grace. Thatβs true, but this storyΒ alsoΒ shows that God is concerned with individuals. He wantsΒ all menΒ to be saved.
But thatβs not the end of His involvement. He also wants men to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). The more truth we can know about Him, the more we can trust Him. He wants a personal, intimate relationship with you. He loves you and is sensitive to your needs (Heb. 4:15).
So when the trials of life get you down and it seems that all hope is gone, remember: you are a certain man or certain woman, and He cares for you. source
