Waiting on the Lord

PENTECOST

We live in a time of impatience and immediate gratification. People want result of their efforts right away. We forget how to wait for things to happen. We sign up for a quick fix. This impatience also affects our spiritual life. We pray to God and we want immediate results ignoring that God knows better the difference between what we need and what we want.

When things don’t go the way we expect them to go, we get frustrated and give up on the effort of waiting.

We are now in the days between Ascension and Pentecost. The disciples are left alone without the Master. But if there is any lesson we learn from them during this period of time, it is the virtue of patience and waiting upon God’s promise.

How did the disciples wait for the fulfillment of that promise? Let us look at the life of the disciples of Jesus between Ascension and Pentecost.

Waiting patiently by praying and living together

They were not discouraged about the physical absence of the Lord. Here is what the book of Acts teaches us:

“They all joined together constantly in prayer,⁵ along with the women⁶ and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” (Acts 1: 14)

Waiting patiently by submitting to God’s will

The tangible example of this submission to God’s will is found in the decision-making process to choose Matthias to replace Judas. First of all they narrowed their decision to two men and then, secondly, left the final decision up to God. This is how they prayed it: 

“You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place”   (Acts 1:24-25).

These are the two things we all need to do while waiting on the Lord. He will surely answer at his appointed point and according to his will.

Peace and blessings!

Fr. Thierry