If you have been a follower of God for any length of time, you know that God doesn’t always do things in a way we normally expect. God, in fact, is quite unpredictable. Of course, this has more to do with our expectations of His behavior than how predictable His actions really are. Think about it: when we pray we normally only listen for a “yes” or “no” answer. When we are listening for instructions for ministry—or some other thing we might be seeking God’s will in our lives for—we are typically looking for a green light or a red light. Yet, God doesn’t always work in the black and white. Sometimes He says wait—not yes or no, not go or stop—just wait.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
I don’t know if there is any word I like less than that. Wait. It can be such a frustrating word. When you are watching the clock for a loved one to finally arrive, “wait” can be frustrating. As children, I think we experience this side of the word the most. Nothing was worse than waiting. I remember having to wait in the car for my mom to finish saying goodbye to friends—waiting that seemed forever!
On the other hand, that word can save a lot of grief. Like waiting until you research something thoroughly before you buy into it. How many times I have heard, or even said, “I wish I had waited.” Waiting isn’t always bad.
It makes me think of a time in the Bible when some people had to wait on God. Well, the Bible is filled with such stories, but the one I am considering is the one told at the beginning of the book of Acts. The disciples were all gathered together in one place. This time the atmosphere was different from their earlier gatherings, they weren’t gathered in fear. Time had passed and things were different. Before, sadness and horror filled their hearts as they witnessed the murder of their master. Now, joy and peace engulfed them. Their Master was no longer dead! He is alive! Jesus is alive! Their joy was unspeakable!
After spending a little over a month with Him, they witnessed a miraculous event—Jesus’ ascension into heaven. It was so awesome that angels had to snap them from their staring and remind them that this same Jesus was going to come back in the very same way. But now they had work to do: take this wonderful news of a risen Savior to the world. Not long before, Jesus had given them (and us) a great commission to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them (Matthew 28:18–20). They were told to go into the whole world. What a better place to start than a packed Jerusalem?
That was the reason they are gathered together. Being Pentecost, you might think that they would have started preaching and holding evangelistic meetings already. What an opportunity! So many people gathered in Jerusalem for the sacred festival. But there they were, gathered in a room, hidden from the crowds. Some may consider them lazy, or waiting for better training, or that they were just trying to get out of something that they didn’t really want to do.
But, believe it or not, they were actually following Jesus’ command. Yes, Jesus had told them to go out into the world, but just few days earlier He had told them to wait (Acts 1:4). Strange isn’t it? But it wasn’t just waiting for waiting’s sake. They were to “wait for the gift my Father promised.” Reading on in Acts 4, you will see that this gift was the Holy Spirit. They were waiting for the gift that would give them the ability, the power, and the courage to do what God asked of them.
I wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t waited… like us. Modern Christians don’t seem to like to wait. That upper room was filled with disciples waiting deep in prayer before it became filled with the Holy Spirit. When’s the last time you saw a group of Christians today wait in prayer until God says “go”?
Oh we pray. Many times, even. I have been guilty of this on countless occasions. We’ll say a quick prayer, then run ahead of God using our brain power in an attempt to figure out God’s plans. We hold way more committee meetings than we do prayer meetings. Some think that just sitting around and praying is a waste of time. I’d argue that, according to far too many stories in the Bible, running ahead of God is the real waste of time. In fact, waiting on God in prayer is the best use of time a Christian could do! God may have something incredible in store for us if we would only wait.
King David seemed to also know a lot about this waiting and learned to like it. Notice some of the things he wrote in the Psalms:
- “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14);
- “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man that carries out evil devices! … For the evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalm 37:7, 9);
- “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer” (Psalm 38:15);
- “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1);
- “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).
The scriptures reveal that the people of God learn that it is not a bad thing when God says wait. Isaiah 40:31 says, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Waiting on God is a good thing. As a matter of fact, “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). On that great day, every disciple—every follower of God that has been willing to wait on Him—will confess these words and will know that it was completely worth it!