The disciples went through the most incredible season imaginable. Their Rabbi was crucified, raised, and then rejoined them for a time before ascending to heaven. Before He left, He told them to stay together in Jerusalem … and wait.
Abraham was told he was going to have a son. Decades later he was still waiting.
Simeon waited in the Temple to see the promised Messiah before he died.
If you are waiting for something, you’re in good company. But waiting doesn’t mean everything gets put on hold. The disciples, not fully understanding what they were waiting on, continued to meet, pray and plan. They appointed a new apostle to take Judas’ place, continuing their Kingdom work.
One of the Hebrew words for wait is yachal, to be patient. It is also translated as hope or to trust. I love that those two go hand in hand. I am tempted to hope in a certain result when I wait. But the implication is that we hope in God while we wait. Our trust is in Him.
Sometimes I do stay busy. Not out of obedience but to distract my mind or give myself a sense of control over the uncontrollable. Yet God offers something different. Trust Him; Hope in Him. I can move forward, pursuing His call, while handing Him that for which I wait. I might be full of activity but my soul can be at rest with confident expectation.
After the disciples had waited, they experienced God in a whole new way. So did Abraham. So did Simeon. The same holds true for us. When our wait is over, we will meet God in ways we don’t yet understand.
Waiting is hard. There are dreams not yet realized and fears not yet vanquished. We live in hope and keep moving in faith while we wait. That doesn’t mean there isn’t pain or difficulty while we wait. But we have a confidence, not in a desired outcome, but in the God who saves.
Let’s encourage one another to be steadfast in our obedience and patient in our hope, because we also wait together for His return. When our wait is over, we will meet God in ways we can’t yet understand or imagine.
But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7
