Thought of the Week – week beginning May 12, 2024- written by Clement Arde-Acquah

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift of my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about”. Acts 1: 4

Brethren, Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all now and always. Amen.

This week as we celebrate the Feast of Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to sit on at the righthand of God our Father, let us remember the quote above where our Lord Jesus Christ asked his disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but wait until they have received the gift he had been speaking to them about at the Last Supper that is the Holy Spirit.  

The word “wait” (in Greek”perimeno),  was a command given by Jesus to his disciples and is the word I would  like us to focus about this week.  Brethren, what do we do when we are asked to wait? Waiting may remind us we are not in control and that control belongs to someone or something else. For some, waiting results in annoyance, depression, a lack of concentration, doing something unwanted, etc. Godly waiting however, requires “patience” and Godly patience sometimes described as “long suffering” (in Greek makrothiuma) in the New Testament is a Fruit of the Spirit” and it means a patient resistance to anger.  Paul in describing love or charity in 1 Corinthians 13:4, added to love, the attribute- Patience. Patience in this sense means, a willingness to wait as long as possible for Godly change to happen, that is being accommodating and long suffering. Patience is not limited to just waiting but how we act when we wait. The disciples when asked to wait after Jesus had ascended to heaven, waited in the Upper Room or Cenacle in Jerusalem. The Upper Room was a place, Jesus and his disciples knew very well. A place of safety where some 260 events (mentioned in the New Testament) took place in the life of Jesus and his disciples. This was the place the disciples of Jesus numbering about 120 people tarried after the resurrection and his ascension. The question is: what will they have been doing during this time of waiting? Apart from electing Matthais as a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:26), they would have amongst others as we see in Luke 24:52: have prayed constantly, worshipped regularly in the temple by praising God in Psalms, songs, and hymns, loving, and caring for each other as Jesus commanded them to do, etc. Despite the many questions they would have had, they would have trusted in God’s promises and would have been united in their prayers knowing that prayer fosters confidence and unity and prepares them for the promise of the Holy Spirit which was to come to them at some point.

Brethren, the obedience of Jesus’ disciples in waiting in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension, provides us with a standard, as we wait in this our earthly waiting room until we are called by God one day. What do we do then, as we wait? Is our wait going to be fleshly or godly in the same way the disciples of Jesus Christ waited? Like the disciples we can wait by:

a)       Praying – praying here means submitting our will to that of God and letting His will be manifested in our lives.

b)      Reading the Word of God- reading the word of the God here means studying it, we should here remember the word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4: 12 and allows us to discern what the will of God for our lives is.

c)       Worshipping God continually; in our praises, in Psalms, songs and hymns. This also means fellowshipping with each other, taking care of each other’s needs, and doing everything in the name of Christ.

d)      We wait by trusting- as the longer we wait, the more we get to realise we are not in control and the more we need to trust God.

e)  We wait as well by- learning to live and loving our neighbours as ourselves as our Lord commanded us to do.

The benefit of waiting for God was for the disciples: receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and this empowering them to go out and preach the gospel and bring to us today. We on our part, can be filled with same power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to continue taking the work started by the disciples until when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. Waiting upon God should not only affirm us but also strengthen our hope In Him. It should give us deeper peace- helping us to deal with our disappointments, anxieties and be more reliant on God for everything. Waiting on God means getting to know him better, understanding His grace, mercy and holiness and hence enabling us to develop and to see things more in His way and to live according to His purposes.  Brethren, finally, “let us be strong and let our hearts take courage and wait for the Lord” as Psalm 27:14 advise us to do.  Amen

Prayer: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who asked your disciples on your ascension back to our Heavenly Father to wait. We thank you for dying for our sins and rising again to show us that we can also be victorious over death if we believe and trust in you. We thank you for your assurance and the hope that you give us. We pray that, as we wait for your return, we will be forever watchful and prayerful.  May we align ourselves in you so that, you reside with us spiritually always. And may we follow the example of the disciples in our walk with you by being constant in prayer, constant in studying your word so that, your word become part of our nature. We ask all this in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.