Friday five: wait and pray

Part of the Ascension Day Scripture from Acts 11 contains this promise from Jesus:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then he was taken from their sight into the clouds, two angels appeared and instructed the probably bewildered disciples to go back to Jerusalem, where they began to wait and to pray for the gift Jesus had promised.

Prayer is a joy to some of us, and a chore to others, waiting likewise can be filled with anticipation or anxiety....

So how do you wait and pray?


1. How do you pray best, alone or with others?

I wish I could say "in worship with my community." But, since I'm actually working during worship, I rarely get still enough to consciously pray. Music gets me there communally, though. If I'm going to sit and try to commune with God, I often need to wait until my "monkey mind" finds itself a banana or something. Sitting by lapping waves or a running stream for long, sunny stretches is rare, but wonderful. Around a dinner table is a pretty great way to pray with friends & family, though.

2. Do you enjoy the discipline of waiting, is it a time of anticipation or anxiety?

Hmmm...are we talking about a vacation or a trip to the dentist here? :-) Generally, I'm not great at waiting, though I'm learning to appreciate the gift of now, with all that entails.

3. Is there a time when you have waited upon God for a specific promise?

Waited for decades for a clear sense of my life's work, and for Beloved to show up. God's impish sense of humor came into play here: she arrived a month after I started seminary, and so there was all THAT to deal with. I'll say this, though—our foundation as a couple was forged during that time.

4. Do you prefer stillness or action?

Yep.

A hammock with a book and an icy diet Coke on a summer afternoon; rehearsing a choir almost any time; gatherings with friends; the work of ministry; sitting with Beloved in front of a fire...all these things are my "favorite."

5. If ( and this is slightly tongue in cheek) you were promised one gift spiritual or otherwise what would you choose to recieve?

Wow--that's kind of a tough one. I guess it would be the ability to live every day fully and lovingly, and to meet whatever is coming around the next corner with grace.