When to act? When to wait? When to study? When to decide? When to buy or move or start a family or get back into the market or change a relationship?
If you struggle with these issues you are in good company. We second-guess ourselves all the time. We have buyer’s remorse. Or kick ourselves for missing out. The disciples of Jesus faced similar dilemmas. After the resurrection Jesus meets his followers and gives them their marching orders to carry out the mission. Then comes this curious verse, from the very end of Luke: “And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised (the Holy Spirit); so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Well, what is it? Get going or wait some more?
The Bible has several stories of people told to wait. “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). All of this activity will come, but first we have to wait. At his baptism Jesus received the Holy Spirit, the power to do his ministry, but then spent 40 days in the wilderness, waiting. Paul’s life got turned around on the road to Damascus, but he had to go into the city and wait.
This is a hard task for the Church and believers. We are told to get going, but also told to wait, to discern, to think and pray. For the past year we at St. Mark’s have spent a lot of time waiting. Even when the youth director position opened up we waited to see what else needed doing. Now it is time to act. We know what should be included in the job description and what we are looking for. It is also true for the next step. After reading and discussing and praying and setting goals and consulting with experts it’s time to move ahead, and it begins with “40 days of community” which we’ll be doing in September. Because we were patient and waited we now can act. Stand back!
And what about you who can’t decide what to do? I think not knowing is a sign you need more time. I still remember a devotional book I read a long time ago titled “Creative Brooding.” The word brooding has a negative feel, like we are unhappy or plotting something. But think of a chicken or any bird. Brooding means to sit on the egg and wait. It may seem like nothing important is happening while the chicken sits, but something is. Don’t be afraid to brood, to think, to pray, to talk to a trusted friend. When it’s time to act, you’ll know. You’ll just know.
Question....Think of a time when you had to wait. How did you know when it was the right time to act? Click on "comments" to add your feedback.
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It is never easy to wait. As a child, I remember crossing off the days until Christmas with each day seeming to last an eternity. Staring at the presents neatly placed under the tree and dreaming of the day to come when we will see if we got what we asked for.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is when we are waiting for something that the waiting is the hardest. I have found that as an adult, Christmas comes faster and faster each year. For me it is not so much about the presents anymore but the gifts that we have already received from God. No, waiting for Christmas is easy now - Easter is the difficult holiday for me. I can only imagine the range of emotions that went through the deciples minds during the few days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Each day an eternity. And then the pure joy like a child on Christmas morning when they received the ultimate gift - the resurection of Jesus Christ.
We fill our daily lives with waiting - waiting for summer to arrive, waiting for a planned vacation, or even just waiting for the weekend. We wait in line at the bank and for a license renewal and we wait for our kids after school. We wait and wait for something that is to come - something that will make our lives better then what we have right now. Maybe we should take a step back and remember that God has already given us the best gift of all - his Son. He gave us other wonderful gifts too - including the gift of each and every season, our health and even our time. I think we should use our time today for today and let tomorrow come when it is ready.
Jesus will come back to us when we least expect it. Relax, find joy in today, hear God's word and may you find peace while you wait.