Life is filled with waiting. There are many times when you know something is coming, but you find yourself in a season where it seems you can do nothing but pause. It could be physical, mental, relational, work, or ministry-related… the reasons are varied.
Waiting is hard. No one likes uncertainty. Something inside us longs for the instant gratification of moving on, getting it done, starting the next chapter.
… is an important spiritual exercise. The Scripture addresses it over 145 times. It is never to be a time of inactivity, for there is always something to do. These times are often the most critical, strategic times of our lives.
The Apostles found themselves there after the ascension of Jesus. He told them something miraculous was about to happen that would change everything. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit will come upon you,” Jesus had promised. But they were to “wait for what is promised.”
The following moments were beautiful and telling and best summarized by a simple sentence.
These, all with one mind, were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. (Act 1:14)
“These all with one accord.”
They were waiting, but they were united in perfect harmony as they looked for the promise from God.
Their disciplined stop to prayer was not a one-night prayer meeting. It was continual for ten days.
“Devoting themselves to prayer”
Their waiting was active, filled with the most important thing one can do. It wasn’t that they had nothing to do, but they had a different thing to do. A concentrated, vital step was to be engaged in aggressively.
They were devoted to prayer, which means “strong towards.” This was not passive, but an active step, for prayer brings us into the throne room of heaven. And prayer brings God into the equation. What could be a more important and blessed activity than to wait on the Lord?
Are you in a season of waiting? God may be more interested in the process (what happens during the waiting period) than the end result. He may be delaying the answer or fulfillment while he gets your attention and draws you close, showing you things in the pause that you couldn’t understand any other way. He may desire to bring you to a simple, profound contentment in Him alone.
God will often not close such a period until every lesson is learned. He may want you and your full attention before the waiting comes to a close. “Look for Christ,” C.S. Lewis said, “And you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
