Patient Waiting?

Most of us find waiting difficult. 

In our busy culture, we think of waiting as wasted time.

Think of the times when we have to 'wait in' for a delivery to be made, or for the washing machine engineer to visit. We mostly get frustrated and fed up!

And while we understand that children look for instant gratification - 'I want it and I want it NOW!', said Verruca Salt in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - adults are supposed to value 'delayed gratification'!

The Bible is clear that waiting for God to fulfil his promises is a normal part of faithful living. 'Once when Jesus 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. John baptised with water, but in just a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1.4-5, 8)

Jesus clearly told his disciples that they had to wait for God's timing. Without the patient and faithful waiting, they would never have had the Spirit's enabling power to carry out their mission and ministry.

For ourselves, in this period between Ascension & Pentecost, we are reminded that we cannot hurry God's timing. We would do well to learn to be patient and faithful in our waiting. The first disciples spent these 10 days in prayer and Bible study together. Their time was well spent!
Best wishes,

Richard