Upper Room: Why God Makes Us Wait | Ascension to Pentecost

Waiting isn't weakness. It's the opposite of Babel. In Day 6 of our Ascension to Pentecost series, Jesus gives his disciples one command before Pentecost arrives: wait. Don't leave Jerusalem. Don't go ahead of God. Just wait. It sounds simple. But waiting is one of the most countercultural things a person can do. The Tower of Babel was built by people who refused to wait — who grabbed for God's throne rather than receiving it as a gift. Waiting is the posture that refuses that power grab. It confesses that God is king and we are servants. Jesus connects the disciples' waiting to John the Baptist, whose whole ministry was a call to repentant preparation. John baptized with water — a sign of readiness and surrender. Now the disciples will be baptized with the Spirit. Just as the Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism and sent him out to proclaim the kingdom, the Spirit will descend on them. The kingdom comes as a gift from above. Not seized, but received. In the waiting, God turns our hearts from rival thrones toward himself. 📖 Series: Ascension to Pentecost — a 10-day devotional journey 📅 Day 6 of 10