The Real Key

“They went up into the upper room . . . Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James . . . Simon . . . Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” Acts 1:13-14 NKJV

For three years, the disciples followed Jesus. He taught and corrected them. Gave them direction and perspective. Then, after His resurrection, suddenly He was gone.

After commanding them “to wait for the Promise of the Father,” He told them, “you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” and that “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” But they really didn’t know what this meant.

After watching Him ascend into Heaven, the disciples became paralyzed. Not knowing what to do, they continued staring until an angel told them that Jesus would, one day, “come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

After returning to Jerusalem, they still didn’t know what to do. As they gathered in an upper room, they may have looked around. What they saw must not have been encouraging.
They saw Peter, who had denied Jesus three times. Thomas, who doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. They saw Mary and Jesus’ brothers, who also had doubted Him. They were reminded of Judas, who had betrayed Jesus.

Could they believe that the people in that room really could make a difference? In themselves, their situation seemed hopeless. So, they turned to the one thing they knew how to do: Prayer. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit fell on them. And everything changed.

The same pattern can be true for us. If we depend on ourselves and other people, we, too, can feel inadequate. These are moments to turn to prayer. To seek God. To trust that He will send His Spirit to provide everything we need.

Prayer: Father, I need Your help. Your wisdom. Your power. Your direction. I am committed to serve You. Thank You for sending the Spirit, and providing what I need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.