The Long Wait
Sermon Review
05 May 2002
(Acts 1:1-14)I have heard many a story of tricks played on young apprentices. When I was 16 and working for a small private trucking company in outback NSW, I was personally caught well and truly when asked to change the spark plugs on a diesel motor. One of the more common tricks used is to be asked to go and bring back a long 'weight'. The person is then kept 'waiting' for a long time and then sent back to those who sent him/her for the 'long weight' in the first place - giving everyone a great laugh at someone's expense. On a more serious note, I am sure that we have all had to undergo periods of difficult waiting for something eg. exam results, or to turn 17 so as to be able to drive or own your first car, or to leave home, or the long night before your first job, or starting a new job, or waiting for the birth of your first child, or the return of medical tests etc. They can be difficult periods, often filled with anxiety and great concern, and a wish that it was all over and done with. But life has to be lived, and not having Dr.Who as a personal friend, one can't jump forwards in time. Hence, we all face the reality of such moments visiting our lives mostly sooner than later, and possibly more often than desired.
The Period between Ascension & Pentecost:
After the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples and others had one of those difficult periods to live through. We don't have a lot of information about what they did in those 10 long days before the promise of Jesus about the Holy Spirit and power were realised. It would appear that they spent some time, perhaps most of their time, in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem - possibly the same room the Last Supper was held. We know that 'they' numbered about 120, including many women as well as Jesus' mother and brothers, and that much of this time was spent in prayer.
We also know that they only had to wait for 10 days, but there is no indication that they knew this - to them it was open-ended, and rested on a promise that Jesus had made to them. As they were no different to people like ourselves, there is no reason to believe that they were not susceptible to doubt, anxiety, and discouragement during this time. Matthew actually indicates that even at Jesus' ascension, some of 'the twelve' doubted (28:17). What they doubted, we are not sure. Perhaps that Jesus was going to return, or He would not honour His promise to send the Holy Spirit, or possibly even that Jesus may not have been who he said he was! We can only speculate. What we do know is that some, even amongst the 12, were capable of doubt. Therefore it is almost certain that some, if not most, of the 120 were susceptible to anxiety and discouragement during the period of the 'long wait'.
What about You?
How do you handle those moments when you are waiting for God to honour His promises? How do you live through those times when faith and patience are called for? Those moments when you have to wrestle with yourself - wrestle with your distaste for putting off what you want now; struggle with your anxieties and put up with the buffeting of your faith and belief; and deal with disturbing questions that swirl around and agitate in your mind. Questions that will differ according to circumstance and person, but could be something like - will it happen? Will it turn out all right? Did I make a mistake? Have I done all that I should or could? Is God pleased with my choices, my situation, myself? Perhaps you handle such moments in your life with equanimity, with calmness and great confidence? If you do then you are most to be envied, and most unusual. For the most part, those times are moments when we will find ourselves occasionally coming a little unglued.
Biblical Examples:
Waiting periods are not uncommon in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for God's promise to issue forth into Isaac; Moses had to wait 40 years in the desert before being equipped to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt; Job could have suffered anything from a few months to a few years etc. To take a different tack, even the plan of salvation in Christ took Millennia to develop to the point of Christ coming Eph.1:4/Gal.4:4-6. The dimension of time that Biblical History is caught up in, is the same that you and I are immersed in. Cause & effect, event & consequence, stimuli & response all take place in a dimension that involves process because of the reality of the flow of time. Hence, the whole of creation groans inwardly waiting for future redemption Rom.8:20-22, and Christians have to wait patiently for their own full liberation in eternity Rom.8:23-25/Eph.1:13,14. But more than that, God uses process and the flow of time to achieve certain things. For example, instant gratification does not build self-control, nor personal maturity, something that God is very interested in. Nor does instant relief or instantaneous results develop reflection and learning, or teach a person the value of choice and consequence. Equally as important, instant answers or quick resolutions to problems do not develop faith.
Patience & Perseverance:
There is quite a lot of material on patience and perseverance in the Scriptures. Paul indicated that perseverance through difficult times builds character and optimism Rom.5:3-5. James supports this 1:2-4. Peter goes further and says that patience and perseverance are necessary to be effective and productive Christians 2Pet.1:5-9. Paul also intimates that persevering under trial teaches us to rely on God 2Cor.1:8-9 - it did for him and those with him. This is one of the reasons why the N.T. calls Christians are to 'stand firm' Eph.6:13, to be patient Jas.5:7-8, and to trust that God will support, help, and honour your trust - to say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' Heb.13:6. It seems that in God's mind a good wait for His promises to be fulfilled in our circumstances and lives can do much more for our faith and personal growth than you or I could possibly think.
Practical Suggestion for Reducing the 'Weight' of a 'Wait': The general problem is that knowing these things do not always stop the wait becoming a weight! What can we do to cope better with those moments, those periods in our lives? Let me give you some suggestions:
Review your general understanding of the character of God - his is loving, kind, forgiving. He doesn't deal with us according to our sins, but with graciousness and care.
Remind yourself that God has the opportunity to build your character and faith in these times more so than when no pressure is being experienced.
Bring to mind any specific promises that bear in on your situation/circumstance and use them to resist agitation and mental turmoil eg. Prov.3:5,6; Rom.8:28; Heb.10:25 etc.
Review the process leading up to the present circumstance and try and confirm whether or not you are on the right track. If you are not sure, reassure yourself that God is determined to work all things together for your good anyway, even poor choices, and wait for clear indications to change things.
Admit that any anxiety or negative attitudes which surface in you as a result of waiting are most probably a product of poor faith, a dislike of the pain that the call for patience inflicts, or at the very least, symptoms of personal immaturity butting up against reality.
Pray; life goes on so concentrate on other things; catastrophise to gain sensible perspective.
Conclusion:
Day always follows night, and waits, even long ones, eventually come to an end. During the 10 day wait, I have little doubt that the disciples were confronted with their personal need to trust and exercise patience. I am confident that their faith struggled from time to time, and that they were anxious to see Jesus' promise fulfilled to ease their fears and doubts, and to celebrate their confidences and convictions, just as we often do. There can be no doubt that when their wait ended the weight on their faith evaporated, and they were absolutely chuffed with Jesus' faithfulness. But in the meantime, they had to wait as you and I often have to wait. God can use those waits - those 'weights' - productively in your life and mine. As we read the O.T. we see Abraham and Sarah's struggles to believe in the promises of God. Yet Paul could conclude that despite all this, Abraham finally became unwavering in his faith, and became persuaded that God could do what he promised Rom.4:20-22. The long wait helped both Abraham and his faith mature - how joyful a moment it must have been when Sarah fell pregnant and when Isaac was finally born. How wonderful it will be also when your long nights turn into days in your circumstances and mine. In the final analysis, when those times come upon you and me, like they did for those first disciples, and countless others recorded in the Old Testament, pray, persevere, and you will find out that no matter how things turn out, God is worthy of your trust.
Blessings