Jesus had told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (1:4). He didn’t want them to rush off and serve God before they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. If they did that they would certainly fail because they would have nothing to impart. It is interesting to note, however, what this ‘waiting’ consisted of. It certainly didn’t mean inactivity. It says in verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” Then we see them dealing with the practicalities of organising themselves and filling the vacant position left by Judas. The lesson here is important. We should be careful about rushing off into ministry activity without receiving first from God. If we do, we will have nothing to give. We must be constantly going to the place of prayer to unload our burdens and receive God’s light and strength. Only then will we have light and strength to impart to others. In addition to this there are practical things that we can put in place to facilitate what God wants to do in our lives. New wine needs a new wineskin. If things are to change spiritually then things will need to change practically. There are practical things you can do now in anticipation for what God wants to pour into your life. Maybe you need to be more organised, create more time and space, streamline your schedule, offload some things, set up some accountability, organise time to pray with others, seek a mentor, etc. These things can be vital preparation for what God wants to do in your life.
Reflect on what needs to change in your life to make way for what God wants to do.
Read Acts 1:12-26
