So when they met together, they asked him, [Jesus]â€Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?â€
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or date the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…†Acts 1:6-7 (NIV)
Henry wrote (and illustrated!) a wonderful devotion yesterday that God literally led him to encounter through an empty gas tank. God does have a sense of humor! The title of the devotion was Waiting Eagerly and Patiently. As I read the devotion late in the evening, after work, I was reminded of this passage in Acts. God spoke to me, reminding me yet again that He does not give me a time line as to when He will return nor when He will fulfill His promises to me. God is faithful to the promise. Why doesn’t He let me know that the answer is coming…tomorrow? Wouldn’t that be an encouragement?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Trust. Faith. Making disciples. Jesus showed me how to look beyond the ‘now’. He showed me how to set my face toward ‘Jerusalem’ and not be distracted. My ‘Jerusalem’ is the place where I meet my destiny – where I meet the reason that God gifted me and put a ‘call’ in my heart that makes me burn with obedience to Him. God purposely does not give me “times and date†because He wants to build my faith and trust in Him. As my faith and trust increases, so does my obedience even when I cannot ‘see’.
Be encouraged today that God loves you so much that He will faithfully keep His promises and do that in such a way as to strengthen you and give you the opportunity to glorify Him!
