Breakthrough Prayers Part 3: Heaven Keeps Count
There are times when we pray and wonder:
"Did God hear me? Does God see what I am going through? Does my giving matter? Does God see these tears? How long before something changes?"
Acts 10:1-4, 44 (AMP)
This scripture gives us an incredible revelation: heaven keeps records of what earth sometimes overlooks.
- Cornelius had not yet received the answer, but his prayers had been received.
- He had not yet seen the breakthrough, but his giving had been remembered.
- He had not yet experienced the promise, but heaven had already acknowledged his faithfulness.
- God may not answer immediately, but nothing surrendered to God is ever forgotten by God.
Meet Cornelius
Acts 10:1 (AMP) Now at Caesarea [Maritima] there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Regiment.
Cornelius was not a pastor. He was not a priest. He was not an apostle. Don't believe that because you don't wear a collar, God can't receive your call. He belonged to the Italian Regiment - a man outside of what people may have expected. A non-Jew.
Four Keys to Cornelius' Prayer Breakthrough
Acts 10:2 (AMP) A devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always.
Key 1 - Devout Devout is an individual who is sincerely dedicated to the worship and service of God.
Jeremiah 29:13 (AMP) Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Matthew 5:6 (AMP) Blessed [joyful, nourished by God's goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.
Key 2 - Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 9:11 (AMP) The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.
Key 3 - A Charitable, Giving Heart
Matthew 6:20-21 (AMP) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.
Key 4 - Prayed Always
Luke 18:1 (AMP) Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart.
Prayer Positions Us for Divine Encounters
Acts 10:3 (AMP) About the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come to him and said, "Cornelius!"
Prayer is not just asking God for things. Prayer positions us for divine encounters. Up to this point in the story, we've heard them speak of Cornelius' prayer life, but we haven't actually seen it in action - until now.
The key I want you to walk away with is this: prayer is not so much you talking to God. Prayer is you allowing God to talk to you.
Your Prayers Have Ascended as a Memorial
Acts 10:4 (AMP) Cornelius was frightened and stared intently at him and said, "What is it, lord (sir)?" And the angel said to him, "Your prayers and gifts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God [an offering made in remembrance of His past blessings]."
Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP) Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.
There are two building blocks for a memorial before God:
- Prayer life
- Gifts of charity
Giving reflects your heart, and prayer reflects your dependence.
Wisdom Keys
1. God Hears Our Prayers
Psalm 116:1-2 (AMP) I love the Lord, because He hears and continues to hear my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.
Revelation 8:3-4 pictures the prayers of the saints as incense rising before God.
Psalm 141:2 (AMP) Let my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord... He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help came before Him, into His ears.
2. God Counts Your Giving
People may not see what you give, but God sees it. God remembers your giving.
Hebrews 6:10 (AMP) For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God's people), as you do.
Philippians 4:17-18 (AMP) Not that I seek the gift itself, but I do seek the profit which increases to your [heavenly] account [the blessing which is accumulating for you].
God sees the sacrifice. God sees the heart. God sees what it cost you to give.
3. God Counts Our Tears
Psalm 56:8 (AMP) You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?
There are tears that people never saw, but God saw. There were tears you wiped away before anyone else noticed - tears when you had to be strong for everybody else. But God saw them.
Psalm 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.
This bottle represents every tear that people never saw, but God recorded.
4. God Can Turn Your Memorial into a Miracle
Cornelius' prayers and giving became a memorial before God. Then God sent Peter. Peter preached. The Holy Spirit fell. Cornelius and his household were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:44 (AMP) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message [confirming God's acceptance of Gentiles].
The process: Prayer → Memorial → Visitation → Miracle
And in God's appointed time, the God who saw your faithfulness can send a visitation that changes everything.
What Should We Do While We Wait?
Keep Praying Don't stop because the answer has not come. Luke 18:1 teaches that men ought always to pray and not lose heart. Your prayer may be closer to its appointed time than you realize.
Keep Giving Don't allow disappointment to turn you into a person who stops being generous.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good...
God sees your heart. Keep giving with wisdom, obedience, and a pure heart.
Keep Trusting You cannot always see what God is doing, but you can trust the God who sees everything.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart...
Keep Believing Your tears do not cancel your faith. You can cry and still believe. You can hurt and still believe. You can be disappointed and still believe. You can say, "I don't understand it, but I still trust God." Keep praising - I will bless the Lord at all times.
The God Who Remembers
Cornelius teaches us that God remembers your prayers. When you pray, heaven hears. Your giving - when you give with the right heart, God sees. Your tears - when you cry, God counts.
And when the time is right, God knows how to connect your prayer to your answer. Peter was already being prepared while Cornelius was still praying. The answer was already in motion while Cornelius was still waiting.
Final Declaration
- Your prayers have been received.
- Your giving has been remembered.
- Your tears have been counted.
- Your faithfulness has not been wasted.
- Your season of waiting is not your season of being forgotten.
- The God who sees you is the God who remembers you.
Altar Call / Response
Today, we lift up three groups of people:
- Those who have been praying but have not yet seen the answer - your prayer has not been wasted.
- Those who have been giving and sacrificing but feel overlooked - God sees your faithfulness.
- Those who have been crying privately - God has counted your tears.
"Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You that You are the God who hears our prayers, sees our giving, and counts our tears. We thank You that nothing done in faith is forgotten. Like Cornelius, may our prayers rise before You as a memorial. Strengthen those who are waiting. Encourage those who are weary. Comfort those who are crying. And in Your appointed time, let the answer, the visitation, and the breakthrough come. We trust You because You see us, You hear us, and You remember us. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Discussion Questions
- Cornelius' faithfulness was recorded in heaven before he ever saw a breakthrough. What is one area of your life where you've been faithful but haven't yet seen the results - and how does it change things to know God has already taken note?
- The four keys to Cornelius' breakthrough were being devout, fearing the Lord, giving generously, and praying always. Which of these four is currently the strongest in your life, and which one needs the most attention this season?
- The message says, "Prayer is not so much you talking to God, prayer is you allowing God to talk to you." What would it look like this week to spend time in prayer simply listening rather than only presenting requests?
- Think of a tear or a hard season that no one else ever saw. How does it affect you to know that God recorded it - and how might you carry that season differently now?
- "Keep praying, keep giving, keep trusting, keep believing" is the charge for what to do while waiting. Which one of these four is hardest for you to hold onto right now, and what is one practical step you can take this week to strengthen it?