WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER

“And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, of which he said, you have heard of from me. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Act 1:4-5

In the one hundred and six occurrences of the word ‘wait,’ its first occurrence is “And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver (another) into his hand; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee to.” (Exodus 21:13). The word ‘wait’ means ‘to chase, hunt, to lie in wait, and by implication it means to make desolate or destroy. This really describes the lack of a restive nature in man since the fall in the Garden of Eden. Man does not wait for God for anything. He thinks and acts ‘independent’ of God. The consequence is disastrous.

Man sought for a covering for is nakedness, without consulting or waiting for God to come with his solution. This is the nature of the flesh, which permeated the Old Testament cultures and traditions including Israel’s who had the oracles of God. They failed to wait because they lacked understanding and their actions were fleshly.

But the disciples were men of the flesh, why were they able to wait? The verse in view shows that they were instructed to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. They were able to wait and they did not go the way of the flesh- disobedience. They did not go chasing or hunting after the promise to bring it pass, as depicted by the nature of religion. They were enabled through grace, due to the call of God: “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness through faith.” (Galatians 5:5).

Paul, while writing the last use of the word ‘wait’ to the Thessalonians, gives an insight into the Christian life. He said, “…wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thess 1:10). They realised the importance of establishing the Church on the foundation of Christ. The Church of Acts waited for the promise of the Father which gave them the triumphal victory they had in the first century. This is repeated in the reformations till now. No human can have such successes without the Holy Spirit having a place of prominence in the life of the person.