He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:7-8)

A video floated around online last year of a child set up at a table with a handful of gummy bears in front of him. His mom gives him clear instructions: “Do not eat the gummy bears. I’m going to go to the other room to get something, and when I get back we’ll have our snack together. You are not to eat the gummy bears until I get back. Do you understand?” The child, who looks about 3, nods his head. “Okay, Mommy. When will you be back?” His mom tells him, “Not very long; just a few minutes.” Mom leaves, and the child waits patiently for a few seconds. He looks around for his mom, but she hasn’t come back yet. His little legs swing in his chair, he starts to squirm, and he eventually puts his head down on the table. His mom’s phone is recording how he reacts to this little exercise, of course, and the viewer can see the emotions cross his face as he manages his impatience.

The disciples had been told by Jesus to wait for his gift for them in Jerusalem (v. 4). Like the child in the video, they were on the receiving end of clear instructions, and they too asked a clarifying question. “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6). Just like the kid in the video had a hard time seeing past the sweets right in front of him, the disciples struggled with grasping exactly what Jesus was telling them – what had been right in front of them the entire time - Jesus was going to leave them, but the Helper would come. They need only to be patient and wait for the gift of His power. 

Was the wait worth it? The absence of Jesus meant the presence of the power of the Holy Spirit, and that enabled the disciples to reach the “ends of the earth” (v.8) with the Good News of God’s love, just like Jesus said they would. Ten days passed between Jesus leaving earth and the Holy Spirit descending. The disciples were active in their waiting: they met together, they were in constant prayer, they chose a replacement for Judas, and they stayed in community with apostles and some women (vs. 11-26). They didn’t sit and squirm like the toddler waiting for his gummy bears! The little boy I first mentioned licked one gummy bear before putting it back, and ultimately he was rewarded with extra gummy bears to enjoy with his mom when she returned and heaps of praise for being patient. The wait was worth it for the little boy and the apostles, and it is for us, too.

The power that came on the disciples lives in us today, as does the patience required to receive it. Can you think of a time you’ve had to wait, but the end result was powerful? Are you currently in a season of waiting? Allow me to encourage you to be active while you exercise patience!