They all joined together constantly in prayer (Thought for May 2021)

May 5, 2021

in Monthly comment

They all joined together constantly in prayer. Acts 1:14a

I’d been working in Railway finance at the Waterloo offices for a few years, and now had applied for my first management post in the District office at Beckenham. To be honest, I don’t think I expected to be successful, but following an interview – stone the crows! – I got the job!

There were one or two reasons why I felt a bit nervous and uncertain about taking on this particular job, as, amongst other things, the section I would be leading had a reputation for having some difficult characters – would I be able to manage them?

Before taking up the position, I remember happening to meet the former manager of that office on the concourse at Waterloo one day, and, in conversation, expressing my concerns. His helpful(?) comment was, “Well, Steve, you have to realise that if you put in for a job, you always run the risk of actually getting it!”

I thought of this when, this past week, the Lord answered, or seemed to begin to answer, certain prayers of Sandra’s and mine that we have been praying for a few years, but really haven’t known how they could happen. We’ve been praying for our neighbours around us on our estate – particularly those living closest to us – nearly every day. But, not wanting to impose upon them, how could we be a blessing to them and in due course speak to them of the Lord Jesus? We’ve also been, perhaps, putting off a particular meeting with former contacts for one or two reasons, though praying about them, but suddenly the Lord has triggered a situation that has caused us to make the needed arrangement to meet up. I won’t go into the details of how all these prayers would seem to be linking together into action, but it strikes me that if you’re going to be earnestly praying for things, for people, you always ‘run the risk’ that the Lord will answer – and sometimes in unexpected ways!

Now, think of all the believers we read of in Acts chapter 1 (vss 13 & 14), after Jesus had ascended into heaven, and how they returned to Jerusalem and ‘went upstairs to the room where they were staying.’ There ‘they all joined together constantly in prayer.’ What were they praying for, do you think? They had been told that would receive ‘the gift’ that Jesus had said his Father had promised vs4, and that they would ‘be baptized with the Holy Spirit’ – and this ‘in a few days’ vs5, but could they really imagine what that would be like? They’d been told by Jesus that they were to be witnesses there in Jerusalem, but then also further and further afield vs8, and it would be with this Holy Spirit power. So there was a lot to pray about, without them really being able to imagine just how God would answer to bring about these things. One would think that there must have been considerable nervousness, and didn’t Matthew say (Matt 28:17) that some still doubted when they had assembled on the hill before Jesus left them? And now they were praying constantly but shut away in the upstairs room – nervous, but persevering. But that’s it, if we earnestly keep praying to the Lord, we always ‘run the risk’ of Him answering and meeting our longed for needs, in unexpected ways. I believe the Lord wants risk takers – those who are stirred to go all out for him in pray, even against the odds, and those who will be witnesses for him, after all, compared with Judea and Samaria, surely we’re at the ‘ends of the earth’, aren’t we?

Steve Piggott

Elder

May 2021

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