Don't Leave Too Early

Good morning BFB family andf friends,

There are seasons in life where it feels like we are living between what God promised and what we actually see happening. That’s where the disciples were in Acts 1. Jesus had already risen from the grave. He had already spent time teaching them after the resurrection. He had already promised that the Holy Spirit was coming in Acts 1:8, but Acts 2 had not happened yet.

The rushing wind hasn't come. The fire hasn't fallen. There has been no public outpouring. They are just waiting. And what blesses me about the disciples is that while they were waiting, they stayed together. They stayed connected. They stayed praying. They stayed expecting.

Acts 1:14 says, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers.”

They stayed in the room. And maybe that’s the word many of us need during this season. Don’t leave too early. Sometimes we become discouraged because we don’t see immediate movement. We pray, but nothing changes overnight. We trust God, but the breakthrough feels like it is delayed. Waiting can make us tired, frustrated, and tempted to disconnect from prayer, worship, community, and even hope itself.

But Acts 1 reminds us that waiting seasons are not wasted seasons. While the disciples were waiting, God was preparing them. He was preparing their hearts. He was preparing their faith. He was preparing them for the power, the Holy Spirit, that was about to come.

Before there was public power in Acts 2, there had to be private preparation in Acts 1. That encourages me because it reminds me that just because God has not moved yet does not mean God is absent. God is still working while we are waiting.

The disciples could have walked away. They could have gone back to what felt familiar. They could have stopped praying because they did not yet see results. But they stayed. They didn't leave too early. And because they stayed, they experienced Pentecost.

I wonder how many times we miss what God wants to do because we leave too early.

• We stop praying too soon.
• We stop believing too soon.
• We disconnect too soon.
• We become weary too soon.

But some breakthroughs only happen for people who stay in the room long enough. The wind came in Acts 2. The fire fell in Acts 2. The power arrived in Acts 2. But none of that happens if they walk away in Acts 1.

So maybe the challenge for all of us today is simple: Stay connected. Stay prayerful. Stay faithful. Stay expecting. Because you may be closer to a breakthrough than you realize. As we make our way to Pentecost, let us remember that God is still moving, still preparing, and still empowering us today. Don’t leave too early.

I love you and there ain't nothing you can do about it

FLC