Acts 1:12-14
My
friend Ben and I used to sit in the storage area of my old house and
pray together. We'd pull up two chairs, look each other in the eyes, and
do the best we could. By no means were we spiritual giants. We each had
our fair share of dragons to slay. We'd sit there in the musky, dark
space full of spider webs, with no noisy distractions, and give it our
best shot. We knew that we were running out of energy in our spiritual
lives, but in these times there was a sort of charge that kept us
going.
We'd alternate praying for our friends, situations going on, ambitions, and I remember feeling like I had nothing else to hold onto. I displayed myself as a person who had it all together, unless I was caught in the moment of emotional reaction. My spirit was weak, as well as my emotional fortitude. What we each found in those times was a reason to keep going.
Our house was full of strangers we had picked up off the street. Our pantry was barren, along with our hopes of knowing for sure what it was we were doing. Our tolerance was non-existent. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired. Yet, the energy we found in merely lifting our concerns to the heavens was mystical.
In today's passage, we're told that the apostles left the Mountain of Olives and went to the space they had obtained for meeting together. Inside that room, they all agreed that they were in this deal for the long haul. Men and women both had found not only a reason to live, but a reason to live life to the fullest, and not give up. They were "completely together in prayer," as they committed to stick it out together through the thick and thin.
As I think about my life currently, I have to ask myself if I have made this sort of commitment with anybody. Who am I in this deal with? Who have I committed to living this thing out with? And, who am I "completely together in prayer" with? This sounds like an action step to be taken.
I have a hard enough time praying right now on my own, much less with a group of people. But, if I remember correctly, there was a time when my friend and I found substance in prayer. It's easy to take a look around at all the religious bells and whistles, aesthetics, and movie-star appeals, and think, "How could this train have gotten so far off track?" But, the real question is, "Am I on the train going off track?" I'd rather be watching a train wreck than on the train that's wrecking. Yet, as a person who hasn't really committed with anybody to keep my eyes focused on the prize, and to stay connected through prayer, am I really on track?
I'm in community, yes, but I'm talking about the kind that's so intimate and so childlike that there are no plans besides moving forward another day, and praying. Evidently, the apostles thought it was essential for whatever lie ahead for them. They didn't even really know what they were committing to besides sticking it out through whatever lie ahead and praying together about it. If I want to continue in this story of Acts, I won't understand completely unless I too agree with someone else to stick it out and pray. So, we'll see what happens today.
We'd alternate praying for our friends, situations going on, ambitions, and I remember feeling like I had nothing else to hold onto. I displayed myself as a person who had it all together, unless I was caught in the moment of emotional reaction. My spirit was weak, as well as my emotional fortitude. What we each found in those times was a reason to keep going.
Our house was full of strangers we had picked up off the street. Our pantry was barren, along with our hopes of knowing for sure what it was we were doing. Our tolerance was non-existent. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired. Yet, the energy we found in merely lifting our concerns to the heavens was mystical.
In today's passage, we're told that the apostles left the Mountain of Olives and went to the space they had obtained for meeting together. Inside that room, they all agreed that they were in this deal for the long haul. Men and women both had found not only a reason to live, but a reason to live life to the fullest, and not give up. They were "completely together in prayer," as they committed to stick it out together through the thick and thin.
As I think about my life currently, I have to ask myself if I have made this sort of commitment with anybody. Who am I in this deal with? Who have I committed to living this thing out with? And, who am I "completely together in prayer" with? This sounds like an action step to be taken.
I have a hard enough time praying right now on my own, much less with a group of people. But, if I remember correctly, there was a time when my friend and I found substance in prayer. It's easy to take a look around at all the religious bells and whistles, aesthetics, and movie-star appeals, and think, "How could this train have gotten so far off track?" But, the real question is, "Am I on the train going off track?" I'd rather be watching a train wreck than on the train that's wrecking. Yet, as a person who hasn't really committed with anybody to keep my eyes focused on the prize, and to stay connected through prayer, am I really on track?
I'm in community, yes, but I'm talking about the kind that's so intimate and so childlike that there are no plans besides moving forward another day, and praying. Evidently, the apostles thought it was essential for whatever lie ahead for them. They didn't even really know what they were committing to besides sticking it out through whatever lie ahead and praying together about it. If I want to continue in this story of Acts, I won't understand completely unless I too agree with someone else to stick it out and pray. So, we'll see what happens today.
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