Acts 1:4b – Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised which you have heard me speak about. (NIV)

Have you ever been in a situation where everything seems to be falling apart? Perhaps you're there right now. You feel cast adrift, not knowing what is expected of you or just where life is going. You had been on course and then the winds of change occurred, and suddenly you are in uncharted waters, not sure of where you're heading or why or what you'll do when you get there. And amidst it all, God doesn't seem to be doing anything.

This is definitely how I have been feeling lately. Numerous changes and adjustments have been rocking the quiet little pond of my existence, and though I don't know where it is all going to lead, I do know that I don't like it, not one little bit. I want things back the way they were. I don't like these waves and what they may ultimately mean. And worst of all, there is nothing I can do about it … or is there? Hmm.

As the book of Acts begins, we find Jesus' disciples caught up in their own situation of change. Life as they knew it with Jesus had been washed away. For three years, they had lived and travelled and learned from Him. They had been part of an extraordinary time in history, and then it all changed. Jesus changed physically. Once He was alive and then He was dead, and now He was alive again, but different, and not with them in the same way, and there was nothing they could do about it either … or was there?

Jesus said to wait. "Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised."

And that is exactly what they did. They waited. They trusted. They obeyed. And when the time was right, on the day of Pentecost, all the good which God was planning for them fell into place.

Good falling into place. I like the sound of that, don't you? So today, amidst whatever waves may be rippling the ponds of our lives, just like the disciples, there really is something we can do about it.

We can wait. We can trust. We can obey. And in the fullness of time, we, too, shall receive the good gift that God has prepared for us.

Acts 1:8a – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. (NIV)

Prayer: Father God, bless us this day with trust, obedience, and hope to wait for Your perfect timing amidst the circumstances of our lives. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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