Acts 1:1-5
This Scripture passage summarizes all the amazing things that the Gospel of Luke describes, and it’s tempting to get caught up in the flurry of activity. Yet, the message is clear about what to do next: wait.
Wait?
Really?
After all that?
I don’t like to wait. I like tending to my to-do list. I like being productive. I like knowing what to do next and then jumping in and doing it.
But verse 4 says to wait.
And this wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.
This Scripture speaks to our day. I’m worried. A lot of people are panicked. We’re witnessing great changes that trouble our public life. We’re also recognizing that some of the things that need to change are mired in name-calling, bickering, and threats.
Yet this is the perfect time to slow down, to open ourselves up to God’s stillness. To wait.
I do this through meditation and centering prayer. These two spiritual practices are similar in some ways but also very different. Both of these practices help me learn to be still and let go (meditate) and also to center myself and open up to God’s mystery (centering prayer).
Whenever news events get more upsetting, I slow down even more. I become still. I wait. I discern through the stillness when I need to act and what to do next. It’s helpful for us to remember that “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
Consider
How do you incorporate stillness into your day? How do you wait to discern your path?
Pray
God, help us to slow down and be still. Open us up to your presence. Amen.