Waiting on God with Great Joy

“You are witnesses of these things. And 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 24:48-49).

Jesus tells his friends who had been with him in ministry for three years that they had been witnesses to his heart, his mind, his works and his wisdom. And yet he tells them to remain in the city — don’t move — until.

Many of you reading this today need an until in your life. Things are not the way you want them to be or believe they should be. And you are waiting until something happens.

Until God comes, things are going to stay the same. Until God comes, there will be no power encounter with heaven that will transform things taking place on earth.

The author of Luke also wrote the book of Acts and we see again, “[Jesus] ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promises of the Father” (Acts 1:4). He is telling them again to wait until you have been endued with power from high.

Wait! Don’t rush to get things you believe you were meant to attain in life. We must work at waiting, in a sense. The humility that waiting requires says, “I don’t have the power to do this and I can’t do that in my own strength. I need the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.”

What do you think this waiting looked like for the disciples? They were not groaning, “Oh, we have to wait on God.” No! We see that Jesus blessed them and even as he was carried up into heaven, they were full of great joy. 

“And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:50-53).