Read: Acts 1:1–5
While staying with them, Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. Acts 1:4
“What do we do now?” must have been the most pressing question on the disciples’ hearts and minds. Jesus was resurrected. The witness needed to be shared. There was work to be done. A church needed to be built! I suspect the disciples, so used to Jesus handing them their marching orders, assumed that Jesus would assign them tasks and send them on their way. Jesus’ command, however, was not for the disciples to go, but rather to wait. Wait for the promise of the Father. Wait to see what God was up to. Wait and see what direction God offered. Isn’t it curious that the book called Acts begins with a command to wait?
It is a great discipline to withstand the temptation to assert our own will so that we can discern what God is already doing in the world and join in those holy pursuits. Waiting is often the first step toward engaging in the acts of faith God wants us participating in. Don’t be in a rush to assert yourself—wait on God.
Where in your life are you acting when you would be better served waiting?
Lord, You know me. You know my proclivity for charging off in whatever direction suits my fancy. My life is so much more about me than it is about You—which means I am not living a properly oriented life. And if my life is not oriented in the right direction, then my efforts will be misguided, and I may overlook the important work You intend for me. Grant me the courage to wait for You. Grant me the patience to wait to see what You are already doing in my life and in the world. Help me to trust that pausing is every bit as essential as acting. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.