LIFE WITH GOD: Waiting
(Download this study here.)
By: Peter Bales
No. 24, April 7, 2024
Have you ever spent a lot of time shopping for something that you really thought you needed, only for it to sit on a shelf and never get used? It seems like every year there is some new kitchen gadget that everyone “needs” to have, but then they don’t get used very much. For us it was the bread maker! Great little machine, we just never used it!
When we start new life with God, he doesn’t want us to set it on the shelf and forget about it! We were reconciled for a purpose!
After the resurrection, Jesus had another mission- launch his disciples and build the church. We read an amazing story in Luke 24 about how Jesus appeared to two disciples walking to Emmaus. It says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). The Bible says they didn’t even recognize him until he broke the bread they were going to eat!
The disciples were confused and unsure what was going on. Yet Jesus meets them where they are. READ LUKE 24:36-49
- What do you notice about how Jesus acts after the resurrection?
- What surprises you about these stories?
It may seem odd that the Bible tells us about Jesus eating or the disciples inspecting his body. These are actually very important Scriptures that show that Jesus’ body was physically resurrected. Jesus wasn’t just a ghost or some kind of vision. He was physically alive and with the disciples- eating, even!
- READ JOHN 20:24-29. What can you learn from Jesus’ interaction with Thomas?
We see how Jesus went to the disciples and showed himself to them. After this, he told them to wait. Luke 24:49 says, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Then, in John 16:7 Jesus told them, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Both of these Scriptures show us that God has more for the disciples, but it wasn’t time yet. There would be a period of waiting.
- Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes for a minute. What do you think they were expecting to happen?
Sometimes we skip over it, but there was a time of waiting after the resurrection before Jesus showed himself to the disciples. Then we see more waiting before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. We have to wait sometimes too. So, what does faithful waiting look like?
First, go back to the last thing that you know Jesus told you to do. Do that! Sometimes, we are looking for the ‘new thing’ and perhaps we still have work to do on the ‘old thing’. This is also a reminder to be faithful in the small or less important. As we wait for God to bring us an answer that we are praying for, keep doing the other, small things that you already know to do. The Bible gives us lots of direction on how to live. Start there!
- What is a big thing that you have been praying for? How can you wait faithfully, even as you keep praying for this?
It’s also important to wait with expectancy and hope. Remember God’s faithfulness and how he has acted in the past. Encourage yourself with Scriptures or other testimonies so that you remember how God has come through for others. 1 Thessalonians says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” We need each other! These things help to increase our faith so we can pray boldly! Testimonies are helpful because what Jesus did for others is what Jesus is still doing because it is who Jesus is!
Sometimes, our faith is strengthened by staying away from the “doubters.” There are probably people in your life who will discourage you from praying big prayers and living in your new Identity in Christ. Sometimes we have to simply ignore them or stop letting them influence us. We can still love them and pray for them, but don’t feed on their words of doubt and discouragement.
- What are practical ways that you’ve learned to encourage your own faith and stay away from those who will discourage you?
As the disciples were told to wait, we can also see that they needed to wait in order to be ready. They simply weren’t prepared for what is coming yet. There was a time of preparation before God would act.
Bamboo is one of the coolest plants on earth—at least in my opinion! Some of it can grow almost 3 feet in one day! It can grow fast, however, when you plant seeds, it may lie in the ground for 5 years before it suddenly sprouts up to the sky! What’s it doing for 5 years? Waiting. Preparing. There are certainly things happening, but we can’t see them. The growth is not obvious until we see it shoot out of the dirt!
We need to trust that God is working, even when we are waiting and it feels like nothing is happening! We see many times in the Bible where there is a season of waiting that comes before great breakthroughs! The key is to stay faithful with what we already know to do and stay expectant. When we are ready, the breakthrough or answer to our prayers will come.
- What is something that you are currently praying for and waiting on?
- How does this lesson help you know how to pray and wait faithfully?