Luke 24:49

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” ~ Luke 24:49


This promise would become the transforming power of the disciples. The words were given to them by Jesus just as He was about to ascend into heaven, and be with God the Father. Yesterday, I talked about how the Spirit of God infuses our spirits, becoming one with us, and Jesus tells them the reason this promise was made – so they would be clothed with power from God! Under this power the task of world-wide evangelism would begin, and we could say it is the birth of the church. The command to stay speaks to me this day, for often we have trouble with waiting for God to act. These men and women were to sit still, be silent, not begin to preach, but to attend to prayer until the Spirit of God came upon them. I look around at the impatience of the world during covid19. It is difficult to wait this disease out, to wait for a vaccine, to wait to go back to work, go back to normal, to go back to what life was! It takes great patience, and I see so many who are not willing for that patience to maintain the safety of others. I know these are difficult times, just as were the times when the first disciples lived. I won’t pretend to say I have the answers, but I do trust in the One who does, and I know that He will bring us through this time, just as the many stories of the Bible show how many others were brought through their trials, their pestilences, their tragedies. God is still on the throne, and His Spirit is still alive in God’s people. We cannot see to the end of covid19, nor how it is really going to change our world, but I do pray that people who are searching for answers will find the Lord and receive Him into their heart, and as a result, will be filled with the Spirit of God. We all need the covering of the Holy Spirit!

Pastor Julia

 


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