How to Wait

Acts 1:12-26

When we left off last week, the last thing that Jesus had said to His disciples was……..wait. Go back to Jerusalem, hang back. *Wait*.

When God makes you wait, it’s for preparation, not punishment.

But it doesn’t always feel like that, does it? Like, idk about for you, but when I’m waiting it feels like I’m wasting time. Sometimes, I even start asking, God….did I get out ahead of you, am I out of your will?! SHOULD I BE HERE?!

That’s what waiting does, right? It makes us question things. It makes us second guess things. And waiting can be DAMAGING to us if we choose to approach it the wrong way.

But see, there’s something about WAITING…that’s locked inside its very nature, and that’s this - waiting….is just a form of PRESSURE.

And while pressure can push….it’s up to us to decide which way we go.

Because see, pressure PUSHES YOU toward a decision.

Three choices YOU WILL MAKE. When you’re faced with waiting in your walk with Christ. And here’s the thing. HOW YOU CHOOSE TO GO…..will determine how these times of waiting affect you. How you will grow through it. And oftentimes, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT WE HAVE THESE OPTIONS!!!

But knowing that you have options now. It will change the way you see waiting. And it has the power to transform waiting from something that feels like a PUNISHMENT. Into Preparation.

Active Alignment or Passive Pausing (12-14)

They weren’t just waiting…..sitting around, wondering what the next step was going to be - they got everyone together, and they PRAYED through it!

You know what I’ve found? I’ve found if I’ve prayed about it enough, I can’t worry about it. And if I find myself worrying about something, it’s a good reminder that I haven’t PRAYED about it enough!!! And you may say, Jared, I’ve prayed over this thing until I was blue in the FACE, but I’m still worrying about it, and I’d ask, well…are you praying WITH SOMEONE?! WHO ARE YOU BRINGING into this prayer with you?! Who else is involved with this?! Who else does this concern - well, what if we just DID what the BIBLE SAID….and brought people in…..and prayed about this.

Some of y’all tonight need to be down here, praying for your lost friends, together. Some of y’all TONIGHT need to be down here with a friend, praying for that thing you’ve been worried sick about.

Pray about it until you’re not worried about it.

Because, see. Worst case scenario - when you pray about it? What’s the worst case scenario. Well, I’d say that nothing changes, right? Yea. I mean, Let’s say you pray for something to happen, and God doesn’t give it to you, He doesn’t say no…..He just says wait. And let’s say that you’ve spent HOURS and HOURS pouring out your heart to God.

Do you honestly think that time in prayer has been wasted. Let me ask you this. Do we honestly think that spending THAT MUCH TIME with our Father. Is a bad thing?! So let me ask you this….what if this time of waiting was ALWAYS MEANT to drive you to pray more, because in doing so, you’ll be spending more time with your Father. Well. That doesn’t sound bad at all…..does it?

So the first choice we’re GOING to make is actively aligning our hearts with Gods, or just passively pausing…..the next decision you’re GOING to make is

Stepping Up or Laying Down in the face of setback. (15-20)

This could have been a heartbreaking moment for the disciples. This man, that they’d spent YEARS with. One of their best friends. He….betrayed them?! Turned his back on them, on the mission, on everything.

Now, maybe you haven’t faced betrayal like that, but. I bet you’ve faced other types of setbacks. Other types of letdowns. I bet you’ve hoped for something, worked for it, invested time into it, poured everything into something you’ve wanted. And it just….evaporated, it just went away. Turned out badly. Not the way you wanted. You have a choice you can make. Do I throw my hands up and go, well. Never mind! Or do I keep giving this situation my best efforts.

Me trying to make pizza.

It was terrible. It was horrible. I wouldn’t feed it to a dog. But guess what I did, much to my family’s dismay the next Friday. I tried to make another pizza.

Never doubt in darkness what God has shown you in the light.

But you don’t just make the choice of active alignment, and passive pausing. You don’t just make the choice to step up or lay down.

You also choose whether you’re going to seek out

Godly wisdom or an echo chamber (21-26)

For the disciples, it was an easy decision. They KNEW how to choose, and who they should choose from.

They knew it HAD to be someone who’d been with them, since Jesus’ baptism. Someone who’d witnessed the resurrection.

Let me ask you this - how do you pick who gets to speak into your life? What are your criteria, or have you decided on any? Most of us, me included, if we’re left to our own devices, will choose people who agree with us.

Someone who loves Jesus

Who loves God’s Word

Who has shown they love you

Someone who’s not afraid to disagree with you.

Choose wisely who gets to speak into your life.

David, choosing to ignore people in the church.

God isn’t using waiting to punish you, He’s PUSHING you toward your next step of faith.