Being A Good Waiter

Being a Good Waiter

While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me... Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives... (and) were constantly devoting themselves to prayer... Acts 1:4,12,14

Even before Jesus’ great disappearing act, his followers are already trying to unify church and state. "Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" they wanted to know. Jesus knows what they really want is power. Political power. It's seductive, this ability to legislate or force others to do what you want, the ability to control those who don't see things like you do. All for noble reasons of course. Family values and all that. We always have the best intentions. Most would wear the ring or run the animal farm with only the worthiest of goals, but we all know how that works out. Jesus bypasses their question, and answers the question of their heart. He promises them: they will receive power if they will only wait.. And then he's gone. This is the last lesson he imparts to them. Fitting in a way, if we think about it. Throughout his ministry Jesus told story after story about waiters. Farmers who sow seeds who must wait for the harvest, a father who waits for his wayward son to come home, a widow who must wait for justice, a friend who comes at midnight and must wait for his friend to answer the door, servants who must wait for a master's return, and wedding guests who must wait for the coming groom.

Nothing God asks of us is ever for his benefit, but only for our own. He could certainly accomplish his plans without our asking for anything. Prayer, from an “a priori” perspective, is almost nonsensical. But deeply ingrained in the discipline of prayer are intangible benefits we receive by its regular practice. We learn dependence on God, hopefulness, consistency, sacrifice for another, patience, faithfulness, and waiting. This is an important remedy to our fast paced culture of instant-fast-drivethru-highspeed-microwavable everything. Washington is awash with quick fix politically expedient solutions to long term problems, because as a country we are so often unwilling to wait. Sometimes it's good to learn to wait for something. Not as passive observers, but as active participants in the process of waiting. Our prayer life in greatly enhanced when we learn the skill of active waiting which is one part preparation, one part sustentation, and one part expectation. G. Campbell Morgan noted: Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.

And so it is we are called to join Jesus’ followers in these days between Ascension and Pentecost waiting and devoting ourselves constantly to prayer. In the process, our spiritual maturity grows, the heavens are moved and the answers come. Not always in the way we had hoped or imagined. When the kingdom is finally restored, it looks nothing like it used to. And sometimes the circumstances are not changed, but we are – a mighty rushing wind blows away our expectations. Will we ever truly understand why God has asked us to pray? We’ll have to wait and see...

Prayer:

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
– Psalm 33:10-22

Be blessed...

Dei Gratia,
Stephen Ellis, Founder
On A Left Wing and A Prayer
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/On_A_Left_Wing_and_A_Prayer/
http://www.crossleft.org/