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We don’t like waiting for anything. Waiting is a bad word in our instant culture. No one likes to wait. But we wait in traffic, wait in airplane holding patterns, wait in grocery store lines, wait for the foursome ahead of us to finish the hole, wait in the waiting room for the doctor, wait for our spouse to get ready for the party, wait for long-winded sermons to end.
In his final words to his earliest followers, Jesus gave somewhat conflicting commands. In his great commission he told them to “go.” Yet, he followed it up quickly with the command to “wait”. Go but wait? Which is it? Well, it’s both. After urging them to go into all the world and make disciples, he turns around in Acts 1:4 and says,
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but WAIT for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” … 8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight… 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
This is quite a scene. A post-resurrection moment we don’t talk about much. The disciples go back to where the last supper occurred, the upper room. It sounds like some of them had moved in. Sleeping bags on the floor. None of them had yet taken the whole great commission thing too seriously because they were all still huddled in that room. Jesus’ mom and brothers are there. A pretty wild collection of folks who were not sure what to do next. While they were there, waiting in Jerusalem as he had commanded, they devoted themselves to prayer.
What does it mean to be devoted to prayer while you are waiting on God?
I don’t think it means that prayer is all they did. Any more than being devoted to a wife means all the husband does is hang out with his wife. But his devotion to her affects everything in his life and it causes him to give himself to her in many different ways. So being devoted to prayer doesn’t mean that all you do is pray. It means that there will be a pattern of praying that looks like devotion, and it will affect everything else that you do. They created a time and space for their praying.
Waiting prayer reminds us that we’re not God and that God is in control. It reminds us that his timing is better than ours. That He is seeing things that we don’t see. Sometimes people ask, “But what do I do while I’m waiting?” During those waiting times take on the active role of a watchman. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,” declared the Psalmist, “I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning” (Ps. 130:5-6). In biblical times, watchmen vigilantly guarded the city. They watched for enemies who might attack at night, and they waited for the sun to come up. They were alert and obedient, ready to respond when needed. When called upon, they sprang into action. But on the other hand, watchmen didn’t make things happen. They didn’t control the rising of the sun. They couldn’t speed up the process of the dawning of a new day. A watchman knew the difference between his job and God’s job.
It’s good to wait on God but it isn’t easy. We live in a quick fix society. But there is a hidden benefit. During times of waiting our souls are strengthened, often in ways we can’t see immediately.
The Chinese bamboo tree is one of the most remarkable plants on earth. Once the gardener plants the seed, he will see nothing but a single shoot coming out of the bulb… for FIVE full years. That tiny shoot, however, must have daily food and water. During all the time the gardener is caring for the plant, nurturing the soil, waiting to see some growth, the exterior shoot will grow less than an inch. At the end of five years, however, the Chinese bamboo will perform an incredible feat. It will grow an amazing ninety feet tall in only ninety days! Now ask yourself this question: When did the tree actually grow? During the first five years, or only during those last ninety days? The answer lies in the unseen part of the tree, the underground root system. During the first five years, the fibrous root structure spreads deep and wide in the earth, preparing to support the incredible heights the tree will eventually reach.
Maybe you are in a period of waiting prayer right now. Don’t be discouraged. God is at work behind the scenes. He is at work deep under the surface, beyond what is visible to the naked eye. And often what he is doing IN YOU during this time is just as important as what you’re waiting for. Continue to make a time and place for praying your waiting prayers.
