Day 4) “The Miracle of Waiting!”

Do you like to wait? It sounds like a trick question, right? No one likes to wait. But that’s exactly what Jesus instructed the early church to do. He said “…stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24:49). In the Greek New Testament, the word “stay” literally means “stop all movement.” In other words, “wait.”

Waiting was part of the preparation for Pentecost. Without the spiritual discipline of waiting on God’s plan to unfold, perhaps the disciples would have attempted the mission without His power. To prevent failure, Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit.

The early church did not object to the waiting period. Instead, they correctly interpreted the forced “down time” as a call to pray and seek God. The church always benefits when we deliberately wait on God in prayer.

What is true for congregations is true for individual Christians too. Today, make it a priority to carve out time to slow down physically, sit quietly, and allow your prayers to be more focused on hearing God. Let your focus be on knowing His heart and growing in fellowship with the Lord. There is power in being still in the presence of God.

Try it. Work more spiritual “waiting” into your calendar everyday. It will soon become second nature and you may discover a deeper experience in prayer than you’ve ever known before. If you don’t believe it, just wait!

-JKB