Not understanding this fact causes a lot of confusion. There are many people who have received prophetic promises which apparently didn’t come true. Of course, it’s possible some of these were produced by wishful thinking rather than divine inspiration, so in some cases the word itself wasn’t authentic. But there are also clear Biblical promises concerning God’s will for all of us that never seem to take place. And there’s not one simple answer as to why. But one reason many of us go so long without receiving, is that we haven’t learned to wait. The problem is we think waiting is, well…just waiting. Which is to say, going on with life while keeping one eye open to see if God actually comes through on what He said. After all, He knows where we live so when He decides to do it, He will, right?

But surprisingly that’s not true. There’s much more to waiting on God than that. Promises and blessings have to be pursued, fought for, held on to. Often our own hearts have to be changed before we can receive. Some might hear this as trying to force God to do something He doesn’t want to do, as disrespectful, as though such aggression is trying to push God to do something He doesn’t want to do. But that’s where the confusion lies. This kind of waiting isn’t presumption, it’s faith. It doesn’t offend Him, it pleases Him. He loves it when His children hear Him promise something, and won’t be denied. He loves it when we lay hold of Him and won’t let go. He loves it when we set aside the distractions of the world, and wait till He shows up. Just like the disciples waited for Pentecost.

What does Luke say?