Waiting and Seeking

If it was in our power, often we would prefer not to wait.  When we make a phone call, we do not want to wait on hold for half and hour because it is a waste of our valuable time.  It would be amazing if we could turn on a computer or oven and have it instantly ready for us to use.  After having blood drawn, it would be of great benefit to have results immediately so a course of treatment could begin.  Rather than waiting in a long self-serve queue to process our purchase, we appreciate an associate offering to help us with our transaction at an empty register.

After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples and taught them of the kingdom of God.  Acts 1:4-5 tells us, "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  Jesus told His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the Promise of the Father--the baptism with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus did not say how long they needed to wait or what they were to do in the meantime.  The passage goes on to tell us they did not wait how musicians or speakers wait in a green room before a show, lounging around and eating snacks:  they demonstrated what waiting on the LORD looks like.  We wait and wonder when the wait will be over.  Since Jesus was no longer physically with them, they sought Him over 10 days that followed.

Jesus explained the results of being baptised with the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8:  "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  Since the LORD revealed His will and plans for them to be His witnesses, they gathered together to seek God in prayer together as it says in Acts 1:14, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."  In addition to prayer, the disciples opened the word of God.  It was in the book of Psalms they found a passage of Scripture that prompted them to fill the office of apostle Judas left vacant after his betrayal of Jesus and subsequent suicide.  Peter addressed the believers in Acts 1:20 to this end:  "For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it'; and, 'Let another take his office.'"  They determined qualifications needed to take the place of Judas, that he be a man who had faithfully followed Jesus from His baptism to ascension to heaven who "must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” (ver. 22)

Jesus told all His disciples they would be his witnesses by the power of the Holy Spirit, and as the disciples waited they sought the LORD in prayer together, read His word and obeyed it best they could to prepare themselves to be Christ's witnesses.  This teaches us a season of waiting, whether it be short or long, is the time to seek the LORD and prepare our hearts to be doing His will.  It was on these faithful few who united to seek the LORD in prayer and obedience to His word the Holy Spirit came upon in power, and they were indeed made fruitful witnesses of Christ's life, resurrection, ascension--and the power of God to raise souls dead in sins to abundant life by faith in Jesus.  When we are made to wait, let us be those who seek the LORD, heed His word, and prepare our hearts to embrace the good purposes and plans God has for us He will reveal in His time.