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Jul 09, 2024 06:00am

Wait

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Sometimes, I get ahead of myself. That’s a funny saying, isn’t it? But is there a better way to describe it?

“Act now!” tends to be my motto. Anyone else? I love to plan, organize, and coordinate projects, but sometimes even that has me jumping ahead before it’s really time.

It’s like getting really excited to go skydiving but not waiting long enough to put on the parachute. It just doesn’t make sense, does it?

We think we can do it, we’ve got it all planned out, but sometimes we have to wait on help to arrive. Without it, we’d fail.

Acts 1:1-5 NLT

1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Wait.

This was the command from Jesus. For 40 days following His resurrection from the grave, He appeared to the disciples and continued teaching them. They finally connected the dots and the reality of all that Jesus had taught them before His death was coming into full view. He was the Messiah, the Risen Savior, the Lord Himself! And they were to go and make disciples.

But not of their own power. Not of their own strength. Even though they were fired up and ready, they had to wait. Jesus would ascend to Heaven and then would send His Holy Spirit. With Jesus on earth in the flesh, He was physically limited. But when the Spirit came, this would indwell all believers, allowing Him to be with all of them, always.

As much as they wanted to begin, they waited.

We all have important work to do for the Lord, but without Him, it will fail. We too must wait on the Holy Spirit to lead us, strengthen us and empower us to do the work Christ has called us to do.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. To be truly effective in the work of God, we must wait on Him.