“Father, we hold up to you those we know with disabilities. Pray that they may share their gifts and talents and are embraced in our communities.”
““The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 1:15 NLT
In this period of waiting between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost, the reality of the kingdom hangs in the air. The disciples have encountered the risen Jesus and yet are uncertain of the implications for themselves and the world in which they live. They remain fearful of the consequences of following Jesus, yet obediently pray in anticipation of something remarkable that’s about to happen.
Uncertainty is a difficult emotion to manage. All the times of waiting for results concerning Katey’s condition were tough. We longed for a positive report, but feared the worst. Nearly 20 years on, I experience the same emotions as Jayne meets with specialists about her chronic health condition.
But there is a difference. My self-serving negotiation with God is gone from my lips. I am in prayer and seeking to grasp God’s workings in this distressful condition for Jayne. I am still waiting on what this might all mean, but in such moments I need to remind myself that the kingdom of God is “at hand” (Matthew 3:2, ESV). I must reach out and take hold of it. I must make my stand upon the solid, if unseen, reality of the kingdom, rather than the very real yet transient reality of this present age. Every emotion and thought is connected to the immediacy of my present, yet my identity is primarily established within the unseen yet concrete reality of God’s kingdom.
As I pray I move swiftly between faithfulness and faithlessness; double-minded on many occasions, yet clinging, often desperately, to the hope offered by the kingdom presence Jesus promised.
QUESTION
Spend a few moments considering the days the disciples spent huddled in fear praying in the upper room. What is your experience of living in “no man’s land”? What are you anxious about, yet seeking to stand faithful?
PRAYER
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may my heart desire your kingdom above my own, your will not my will, and your purpose in all things. Give me eyes to discern your kingdom way, and hands that work in collaboration with your Holy Spirit to build that kingdom here on the earth. I entrust myself to you once more this day.
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