Waiting on God
Christopher B. Harbin
Acts 1:3-12
Sometimes the hardest thing for us to hear is the phrase, "Wait." We get impatient, anxious. We feel like the waiting is unproductive. We feel we are losing something while waiting for something we anticipate. We truly don't know how to value and live in the moment. Rather, we live in anticipation. We try to live in the "not yet." There may yet be much to accomplish during our time of waiting, yet in our anxiety over moving forward, we might find ourselves unprepared for the future we anticipate. What do we do with our time of waiting? Do we trust God with issues of timing?
Jesus had been crucified, was placed in a tomb, and then had risen from the dead. Over the next six weeks, he had appeared to various disciples. Luke records a final encounter with Jesus six weeks out from his death and resurrection. Jesus talked over several issues with them and told them to wait.
The disciples were uncertain and anxious to know what was coming. They went back to some of their old anxieties regarding the future and their expectations. They wanted to know about the age to come. They wanted to understand what was about to happen. They wanted answers to the debate over the messianic reign, the second half of history, Israel's role in the world scene, the restoration of Israel's political power, the overthrow of Rome, and so many other issues of the day. Jesus did not answer any of those questions. He simply treated them as unimportant distractions. He tried to redirect them to what really mattered.
We really can't live in some future. The disciples would have been wasting their time and energy distracted with worries and anxieties about the future. Jesus told them simply that these were not issues of importance to them. They had no bearing on their lives. They did not impact life in the present, nor did they have anything to do with understanding and fulfilling God's task for their lives. Knowin ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Acts 1:3-12
Sometimes the hardest thing for us to hear is the phrase, "Wait." We get impatient, anxious. We feel like the waiting is unproductive. We feel we are losing something while waiting for something we anticipate. We truly don't know how to value and live in the moment. Rather, we live in anticipation. We try to live in the "not yet." There may yet be much to accomplish during our time of waiting, yet in our anxiety over moving forward, we might find ourselves unprepared for the future we anticipate. What do we do with our time of waiting? Do we trust God with issues of timing?
Jesus had been crucified, was placed in a tomb, and then had risen from the dead. Over the next six weeks, he had appeared to various disciples. Luke records a final encounter with Jesus six weeks out from his death and resurrection. Jesus talked over several issues with them and told them to wait.
The disciples were uncertain and anxious to know what was coming. They went back to some of their old anxieties regarding the future and their expectations. They wanted to know about the age to come. They wanted to understand what was about to happen. They wanted answers to the debate over the messianic reign, the second half of history, Israel's role in the world scene, the restoration of Israel's political power, the overthrow of Rome, and so many other issues of the day. Jesus did not answer any of those questions. He simply treated them as unimportant distractions. He tried to redirect them to what really mattered.
We really can't live in some future. The disciples would have been wasting their time and energy distracted with worries and anxieties about the future. Jesus told them simply that these were not issues of importance to them. They had no bearing on their lives. They did not impact life in the present, nor did they have anything to do with understanding and fulfilling God's task for their lives. Knowin ...
There are 7555 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
