How often have you asked God to intervene in a situation?

How often have you asked God to intervene in a situation, or repeatedly brought a petition to God in prayer but have yet to see how He will move His hand in response? Waiting can be hard. Very hard. It can seem futile, a waste of time or even scary when we could be getting on and doing something ourselves.

As I thought on Pentecost last week, I was struck by what Jesus asked His disciples to do: I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

In preparation for the pouring out of the Spirit these people were asked to stay in Jerusalem and wait. These were people who had followed Jesus, heard His teaching, seen His miracles. They had watched His death and were now receiving instructions from the resurrected Jesus. The messiah in their midst was not just a messiah, but God Himself. I think I would have been bursting at the seams to get out and tell the world all I knew. Yet, Jesus’ word to them at this time was ‘wait’.

And while waiting can be extremely difficult at times, there can be power in waiting. When done out of obedience it becomes an act of surrender, a defiance to the world who would tell us to get going as we say ‘Not my will but yours be done’.

For us as followers today, as it was for those 1 st Century followers of Jesus, God’s presence and power comes to rest on and live in those who choose obedient surrender to His word.

“Stay in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on High.”

Pentecost was worth the wait. The presence and power of God is worth the wait.

Colleen

A couple of weeks ago we shared that the Baptist Union were calling for questions as they have recognised the confusion and questions we, as Christians, have around Israel and Palestine. They received a lot of questions and over the next few weeks will seek to explore them. Here is the link to the first set of answers: https://baptist.nz/israel-and-palestine-twenty-one-questions-part-1/