Waiting

My family and I have been trying to buy a home in Connecticut for several months. It has been a slow and hard process, to say the least. By God’s grace, we are under contract on a quintessential New England home! Praise God.

BUT… we don’t close till July 1. We have to wait. The contract is signed. The loan is ready for closing. The boxes are ready to be repacked. The manager of our apartment knows we are not renewing our lease. It is as close to being a real thing without it being a real thing. All we have to do is wait.

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday; the day Christians remember and celebrate when the Holy Spirit came upon the early church. Before this amazing day came, Jesus told his disciples to wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4).

Today, I invite you to PAUSE and talk to God about what you are waiting for.

But before we do that, I invite you to take a few deep breaths in and out.

Pray: Holy Spirit, quit my mind, body, and soul.

Breathe.

When I think about waiting for God, I often wonder if what I am waiting for is in line with his will for my life. I even felt that way waiting for our home. I’ve got good news for you; we are in good company.

After Jesus told his disciples to wait for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, the disciples immediately asked Jesus a question that showed that their hearts were not aligned with his heart (Acts 1:6). Jesus didn’t lash out at them. Rather, he reminded them that they were about to receive power from the Holy Spirit that would then empower them to be in line with his will for their lives (Acts 1:8).

PAUSE.

Breathe.

Whatever it is you are waiting for, hold it before God.

Pray. God, I am a mixed bag of desires. You know this. As I wait for ‍ ‍ , will you fill me with your Spirit, ever so gently sifting and shifting my heart to align with your heart.

PAUSE.

Breathe.

Listen.

Receive. The wonderful news is that if you are a follower of Jesus, his Spirit dwells in you, empowering you into his likeness, sifting and shifting your heart day in and day out. Live into this good news as you wait on God. I’ve come to learn that often it’s more about what God desires to do in our hearts in the waiting than the thing we are waiting for.