What Are We Waiting For? - Acts 1:12-26
On Sunday, we continued our series walking through the book of Acts. Pastor Michael preached on Acts 1:12-26, telling us that God’s mission will never lack His supply. This passage in Acts is tremendously helpful for believers today, and it provides us a beautiful picture of how the early churched devoted themselves to prayer, submitted to Scripture, and trusted in the sovereignty of God.
After witnessing Christ’s ascension, the apostles journeyed back to Jerusalem. There, they returned to the upper room in which they were staying and devoted themselves to prayer, along with others.
As Michael noted, prayer is an enduring mark of the church. The believers in this gathering prayed persistently and in one accord. Prayer continues to play an indispensable role in the lives of Christians today. It is the primary means through which believers praise God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, confess their sins to Him, and bring their requests before Him. In prayer, believers cling to the promises of God and enjoy the reconciled relationship with God that Christ secured for His people.
In the passage, Peter spoke to the company around him (at that time around 120 people) and told them of how Judas’ apostasy was foretold in Scripture, and pointed them to the biblical call for another to take his apostolic office.
They selected two men from among those who had accompanied them from when John baptized Jesus to when Jesus ascended to heaven. These two men were Joseph and Matthias. They then prayed. Acts 1:24–25 says (ESV),
“And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’”
They cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. He was numbered with the other eleven apostles.
In this passage, we see a picture of the apostles’ faithfulness. They persisted in prayer, knew God’s word, and trusted in God’s sovereignty. During this time, the apostles awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit. Believers today are still entrusted with making disciples, and are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We might ask ourselves, “What are we waiting for?”
Resources:
What Should We Pray For? — John Piper
A Simple Acrostic for Prayer — R.C. Sproul
Reflection Questions:
How does Acts 1:12-26 reveal the Lord’s sovereignty?
What does this passage reveal about the nature of Scripture?
What can you do to grow in your prayer life?