The Gospel in Motion: What Now…?
Contributed by Enid Victor

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. —Acts 1:14

The disciples have just returned from witnessing Jesus ascend into heaven, after He told them to wait for the promised gift from the Father. How this gift will appear, they do not know, nor do they know when it will arrive. What do they do? They were gathered “with one accord” (v14, ESV) and they prayed. They were in between living with Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. What now…?

We all currently live in an “already-not-yet-ness.” Jesus has lived, died, risen, and ascended. He will come again. But we do not know when that will be. What now … when you are in that in between-ness of life, whether it is waiting for a child to be born, or waiting for a prodigal to return, or waiting for word on a medical diagnosis, what do you do in that in between time?

Pray.

Prayer is our means of intimate fellowship with the Lord, praising and thanking Him, sharing our hearts with God, and listening to Him. And when we live in community, as the disciples did, our prayers can be of one accord, “with one mind or passion.” We come together to praise and request, to thank and confess. Our prayers are more powerful when we pray together. Not that God listens more to the prayers of many people, but we grow closer to one another and to God as we discern in community through prayer – for one another and for the world.

Luke also tells us that the disciples pray “constantly.” The word used here means “to be devoted to,” “to persevere,” or “to continue all the time.” Luke also uses this word in Acts 2:42, when he writes that the new Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship.” So, the disciples in Acts 1:14 are fully devoted to prayer with one another. Their focus and energy were on Him. They recognized that they needed to go to God together for help. They needed each other and the Lord.

In our lives, when we are in the “in-between,” the waiting, we are invited to recognize our need for the Lord. Because of Christ, we are able go to God constantly – to be devoted or focused on God, rather than ourselves. And we pray even when (or especially when) we do not know when (or if) the prodigal will return, or our loved one will accept Jesus, or when we have a terminal illness. Our devotion is to be toward God, recognizing that God will see us through the in-between.

Consider—

╬ What “in-between” are you living in that could be met with prayer? Who can you ask to pray with you in that time?

╬ What does praying constantly look like in your life? What are the prompts that turn your attention toward God amid circumstances? Jesus at the front of your mind?

╬ Lord Jesus, help us to keep you at the fore front of our mind and heart (Ps. 16) as we go about our lives. Show us how to bring our community into prayer and discernment with us. In Christ’s name. Amen.