In the Waiting

Friends of mine, serving as missionaries in Slovenia are seeking for brothers and sisters in Christ to discipline themselves towards 30 days of prayer while in the study of Acts. Day 1 started yesterday and today we were in the study of Acts 1: 12-14.

“12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

These verses from Acts make me wonder how mind boggling it must have been for the women and apostles, especially after all they have just witnessed in Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection. I wonder how difficult and perhaps, unnerving for them it was to wait on the Lord in faith… in quiet patience… in a single room… for an uncertain time, despite their fears and uncertainties. I would have been an anxious, impatient wreck! Despite these fears, the faithful were together and there is strength in numbers. I remember the long months of waiting during our Russian adoption of Sandra and Nathan. I found myself in prayer, multiple times a day and seeking the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us through this long process. What gave us comfort was the knowledge that many people back home in the states were praying with us and for us while we waited out in Russia for 3 ½ weeks. This was our first encounter praying with a large body of believers on our behalf. Every time I look in my children’s’ faces, it is a constant reminder of God’s answered prayers and the many people who interceded on our family’s behalf. I must confess, I am not the most patient person and I find waiting on God difficult at times. I am also not proud of the way I have sometimes responded to God when He didn’t reveal the path I should take. It is much easier for God’s well trained soldiers to march and fight than it is to wait. These verses show me it is best to suppress our cowardice to hide as well as our desires to rush forward in pursuit of resolution. As the apostles and the women showed us, it is best to wait on the Lord,…seek His strength in prayer and with each other…and the intervention will come at the right time…---but that is reserved for Acts Chapter 2. On the Journey Together!--Kathy