Psalm 27:14

Devotional Thoughts

By Gary Wilkerson

If you need the power of God in your life, Jesus has a special word for you. Just before he ascended to heaven, Christ knew his disciples needed power to do the works of his kingdom on earth. So he instructed them, “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49-50).

The instruction was simple: “Stay in the city.” But note that he uses a qualifier: until. Jesus was saying, “Your lives will remain the same until the Holy Spirit comes upon you with power.”

This is true for a lot of Christians I know. They sense their life isn’t going quite according to God’s design. They are dissatisfied, wanting more in their marriage, their work, their walk with Christ, their witness for him. Jesus is promising them, “God desires those changes for you, but such things only happen through the power of the Spirit. Until he comes, things will remain the same.”

Luke wrote this scene in his gospel, and he repeats it in the book of Acts: “While staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4-5).

Jesus’ message in both passages is clear: “Wait on the Holy Spirit! Don’t rush, clamor or panic. You can’t will your way to accomplishing the works of the kingdom. Wait in faith, and you’ll be endued with power from on high.” Indeed, it happened just as he promised. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with a powerful anointing from God such as the world had never seen. And two thousand years later, the world has never been the same.