Waiting on the Lord

This is a message I sent to my church family on Sunday morning, March 22, 2020, the second Sunday of the COVID-19 Crisis.

       “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

       For the second consecutive Sunday we will “rejoice and be glad” in the Lord’s day without having the opportunity to attend church.  And to think that only ten days ago life was fairly normal.  

       We had been studying the book of Acts that tells the story of the birth of the church.  I am now seeing the first chapter of Acts from a different perspective.  Jesus commanded his disciples to “not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.”  (Acts 1: 4)

       The story of the church begins with the disciples being on lockdown, they were mandated to “shelter in place.”  

       They had just experienced the resurrection and stood on the top of the Mount of Olives as Jesus ascended into heaven.  They wanted all the world to know this glorious news, but they could not go anywhere because they were under a mandate to “wait.”

       We learned in our Bible Study that the word “wait” in the first chapter of Acts is not the normal word for “wait” in the Bible.  Luke, who also wrote Acts, was the “beloved physician.”   He was a medical doctor who used many medical terms.  The word “wait” that is used in Acts 1 means to wait for the result of a medical test or treatment.  

       Most of you know about waiting for the results of a medical test—a CT Scan, a MRI, an Ultrasound.  It is often anxious waiting—fearing the worse, hoping for the best—waiting with uncertainty.  This was the waiting that the disciples experienced.  They did not know what to expect, whether it was going to be good or bad.  They did not know how long they would have to wait. 

       That is the situation we find ourselves in.  We are hoping for the best, but fearing the worse.  We don’t know how long this will last. 

       What did the disciples do while they were waiting?  They devoted themselves to prayer and they studied the Scriptures.  It wasn’t long before their waiting was over and the Holy Spirit came with power.  

       I invite you to join me in prayer during these uncertain days.  Study the Scriptures to find hope and comfort.  We need to reminded that God is still in control, that he is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. 

       It is not easy to wait, but remember the powerful words from Isaiah 40:  “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”