Obedience in the Waiting | Not by Might Part 2
Key Thought | Obedience in the waiting prepares our hearts for the promise.
Key Scripture | My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – James 1:2–4 (NKJV)
Waiting can feel like inactivity, but in God’s Kingdom, waiting is often formation.
The disciples returned to Jerusalem exactly as Jesus instructed (Acts 1:12). They did not know how long the wait would last. They had no timeline. They had no visible evidence that anything was happening. All they had was a promise and a command.
And they obeyed.
Waiting exposes what we truly believe about God. Do we trust His timing? Do we believe He is working when we cannot see it?
James writes, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2–3). Patience is not passive resignation. It is active trust. It is faith stretched long enough to become resilient.
The upper room was not glamorous. It was not public ministry. It was not revival crowds. It was about 120 believers praying together (Acts 1:15). It was ordinary obedience.
But that obedience prepared them for extraordinary outpouring.
We often want breakthrough without the refining. We want the promise without the preparation. Yet God knows that if He poured out power on an unprepared heart, it might crush rather than strengthen.
Waiting purifies motives.
Waiting builds unity.
Waiting deepens hunger.
What if the delay you’re experiencing is not denial, but development?
There is a difference between being stuck and being shaped.
The disciples were being shaped.
Instead of asking, “Why hasn’t this happened yet?” try asking, “What are You forming in me right now?”
Lean into obedience today, even without clarity. Trust that what feels hidden may be holy ground.
Prayer | Father, teach me to trust You in the waiting. Grow patience in me. Refine my motives. Help me obey even when I don’t see the full picture. Prepare my heart for what You have promised. Amen.
Reflections
Key Scripture | My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – James 1:2–4 (NKJV)
Waiting can feel like inactivity, but in God’s Kingdom, waiting is often formation.
The disciples returned to Jerusalem exactly as Jesus instructed (Acts 1:12). They did not know how long the wait would last. They had no timeline. They had no visible evidence that anything was happening. All they had was a promise and a command.
And they obeyed.
Waiting exposes what we truly believe about God. Do we trust His timing? Do we believe He is working when we cannot see it?
James writes, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2–3). Patience is not passive resignation. It is active trust. It is faith stretched long enough to become resilient.
The upper room was not glamorous. It was not public ministry. It was not revival crowds. It was about 120 believers praying together (Acts 1:15). It was ordinary obedience.
But that obedience prepared them for extraordinary outpouring.
We often want breakthrough without the refining. We want the promise without the preparation. Yet God knows that if He poured out power on an unprepared heart, it might crush rather than strengthen.
Waiting purifies motives.
Waiting builds unity.
Waiting deepens hunger.
What if the delay you’re experiencing is not denial, but development?
There is a difference between being stuck and being shaped.
The disciples were being shaped.
Instead of asking, “Why hasn’t this happened yet?” try asking, “What are You forming in me right now?”
Lean into obedience today, even without clarity. Trust that what feels hidden may be holy ground.
Prayer | Father, teach me to trust You in the waiting. Grow patience in me. Refine my motives. Help me obey even when I don’t see the full picture. Prepare my heart for what You have promised. Amen.
Reflections
- What season of waiting am I currently in?
- What might God be forming in me during this time?
- Am I resisting the process or surrendering to it?
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