What are some hindrances of prayer? In the life of the early church in Acts 1, two hindrances stand out: WAITING & UNCERTAINTY.
Waiting…
4And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father. —Acts 1:4
Patience…
9Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. —Acts 1:9
12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. 13When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James). —Acts 1:12-13
The disciples were in the Upper Room living in the waiting and uncertainty. Their response?
14They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. —Acts 1:14
God’s people have always been characterized by prayer.
25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. —Genesis 4:25-26
IN
United
This word denotes the inner unity of a group of people engaged in an externally similar action. —Hans Heidland
The disciples shared the same external circumstances.
We all share the same external circumstances.
…stress the unanimity of the community…unanimity is an event…thus a gift of God to the praise of God.. —Hans Heidland
Certain events bring us to prayer. For the disciples in this moment, it was the Risen Savior telling them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
For Calvary? We are called to minister to each other and the world. That brings us to our knees.
Prayer
There were 10 days between Jesus’ Ascension and the Day of Pentecost. What were they to do in those 10 days? What was in the Upper Room that would have made a difference for them?
There was nothing to do except pray, but let’s get this right…
Prayer is not a last
Are we a praying church?
Are you a praying child of God?