Waiting on God by Dr. Paul Chappell

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Waiting on God

by Dr. Paul Chappell

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Acts 1:4-5

In His last meeting with the disciples before returning to Heaven, Jesus gave them a final series of instructions to follow. The first step was one that many of us still struggle with today: to return to Jerusalem and wait. Soon the Holy Spirit would come on them and give power for effective ministry, but until then, there was nothing they could do. The same is true today, and unless we are empowered by God, all of our labor and effort will be in vain. Yet for many people, waiting on God poses a real challenge. To overcome that challenge, we need to understand that God's timing is more important than ours and that He does not regard our time waiting on Him to be wasted.

Of course waiting on God must not become an excuse for laziness, but it is a vital part of our Christian walk. G. Campbell Morgan said, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

When John Milton went blind, it was a devastating blow to the gifted writer. But as he reflected on his new condition, he realized that God knew all about his circumstances, and still had a plan for his life. Milton wrote, “God doth not need either man’s work or his own gifts...They also serve who only stand and wait.” God is never in a hurry and God is never late. We must bend our schedules and timetables to His if we are to serve Him well.

Today's Growth Principle:
We must never rush forward when God has called us to wait for Him to work before we do our part.