Acts 1:23-26: “And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: How do I respond to the delays of life? The times when I am seeking the Lord, but nothing is happening. I am trusting in God’s Word, but also struggling with God’s timing. Surely there is something I should be doing other than waiting and praying!

While there are times for action, there are also times to simply meditate on the Word of God and continue in prayer. This was the call that was given to the disciples right before Jesus ascended into heaven.

Acts 1:4-5: “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The assignment from Jesus was to stay and wait. The disciples knew, from all that Jesus had taught them, that they were called to proclaim the Kingdom of God. They had seen the power of God work when they had done this in the past with Jesus. Now, filled with the joy of the resurrection and renewed hope and purpose, as they listened attentively to every word that Jesus said, they were told to stay and wait.

Stay and wait?

What was Jesus saying? What were they missing? The job that Jesus had given them could not be accomplished with their limited understanding and power. They needed to be empowered from heaven to accomplish heaven’s task. So, Jesus told them what they would be waiting for. They thought it was the establishment of the Kingdom. However, Jesus reminded them it was so much more!

Acts 1:6-8: “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” NKJV

So, the disciples and the 120 followers of Christ, after they had recovered from the wonder of seeing Jesus ascend into heaven, began to stay and wait. They spent their time in God’s Word and prayer. This went on for a few days, probably without a hitch. But as each day passed by, it probably became harder and harder to stay and wait. If it was not difficult for some, it was for a man of action like Peter. Peter knew that they should be doing something as they waited, so Peter took action!

Acts 1:15-16, 21-22: “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus..Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” NKJV

Peter thought he needed to help God by getting everyone organized and ready. It was only 10 short days from the time of Jesus’ ascension until the Day of Pentecost, but these 10 days seemed like an eternity to Peter. Peter took action, led the disciples to nominate two men, Joseph and Matthias, then fell back on his religious training by casting lots to see who God had chosen. The lot fell on Matthias, and they numbered him as one of the 12.

While all of this was done with good intentions, it was not what Jesus had called them to do!

There was nothing inherently sinful in Peter’s activity. Peter’s actions remind us that we all can move ahead of God’s timing when we are in a season of waiting and praying. We never hear of Matthias again in the Bible. The disciples never again would cast lots, an Old Testament method of discerning God’s will. God made His choice for the 12th Apostle in a man called Saul, who would meet Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).

Matthias, with no maligning to his character, was man’s choice, not God’s. We can fall into the pattern of settling for our choice and miss God’s when we move ahead of God’s timing. It is easy to do something that we know and are familiar with when we are really called to wait for something that God has promised and will come in His way and timing.

I believe Peter learned this valuable lesson on the Day of Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit had been given, the days of offering sacrifices and casting lots had come to an end. Jesus was alive, and His presence was now living in the heart of every man and woman who believed. No longer would life be determined by our limited human understanding and power. Life would now be lived in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives.

While we are no longer waiting for the Day of Pentecost, we still need to wait for the empowerment, leading, and discernment of the Holy Spirit. If we do not learn to wait upon the Lord in prayerful meditation upon His Word, we will not receive the Holy Spirit’s direction and enter into God’s best for our lives. We will find ourselves simply going through the religious motions we know so well and settling for what we can do rather than for what God desires to do for us.

I want God’s best in my life and the lives of those I love!

Heavenly Father, I am tired of trying to make things happen ahead of Your perfect timing. I humble myself and repent of all the times I have cast lots in place of being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Help me to wait and pray as I meditate upon Your Word. Fill me anew with the Holy Spirit and wait upon You until I hear His still small voice saying – “This is the way, walk in it!” Help me live like Peter after the Day of Pentecost and not before.

In Jesus’ Name!