The Pain of Waiting

Reading: Acts 1

"Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised." Acts 1:4

Evaluation:

The disciples could have charged ahead of God. They had their mission. The task at hand had been made clear, but they lacked one thing; the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would comfort them, guide them to know His truth, remind them of Jesus' words, give them the right words to say, and fill them with power.

Application:

I no longer have to wait on the indwelling empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Once Christ returned to heaven the gift of the Holy Spirit became automatic the moment a believer converts to Christ; but, the discipline of waiting is still very much in play.

Waiting is painful. Tell me to climb a mountain, order me to kill a bear, but please do not tell me I have to wait before I go. In this passage I see a few things I need to know about waiting.

First, I have to spend enough time with Christ to understand what He wants from me. Clarity is directly related to my time spent with God. I need to sit with Christ and experience Him moving and connecting to me. As I do this He will make clear my path and temper my drive to get going.

Second, I can not wait alone. Waiting is a Biblical principal. Much is transformed inside of me during the season that exists between God calling me and Him sending me. I need to let other people know what I am wrestling with and have them join me in prayer. Discipleship best occurs in the context of community and wise counsel.

Third, I need to act when all signs point to go. The craziest thing happens when I am forced to wait: I lose my nerve. It is a lot like standing on a cliff and staring at the water before I jump. The longer I stand the higher the jump begins to feel. Once God releases me and creates an opportunity for me to go; I need to jump.

Prayer:

The power of Your Word to speak into my life is totally amazing to me. There is no better word for me to hear today. There is nothing that You could have said that would have spoken more clearly to the weight I feel in my heart and spirit today.

I need some time alone with You. That is abundantly clear to me. The lack of clarity I have right now has resulted from the crazy pace of my life and the lack of time I have invested in sitting with You.

The problem is that I do not know how to get off the hamster wheel I have created. I submit my schedule to You today and ask that You help me clear some white space for You and I to meet. As I take this step towards You today I do so fully trusting You to meet me there.