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When God Asks You To Stay | Paul
The hardest thing God ever asked me to do was stay.
Not go. Not act. Not build.
Just… stay—especially in a place I didn’t want to be.
Jesus came back from death.
Like, for real. After everything. After the cross, the pain, the burial…He shows up again.
Wounds visible. Voice familiar. Breaking bread with His disciples like old times.
And just when you think finally, He’s here to stay…
He leaves again.
But before He goes, He gives them one simple instruction:
“Stay in Jerusalem.”
Not “Go tell the world.”
Not “Start something new.”
Just… stay.
That part always hits me.
Because if I’m honest, I don’t like staying.
Especially not in hard places.
Especially not in places that remind me of failure or trauma or things that didn’t work out the way I hoped.
And that’s what Jerusalem was. It was the place where everything had gone down. Where Jesus was crucified, where fear was still in the air, and where following Him could get you in serious trouble.
If I had been there, I would’ve wanted to bounce. Head anywhere but back into that mess.
But they stayed. They trusted. They waited.
And I can’t help but wonder, how?
Because I know what it feels like to be in the in-between.
That space after God shows up in a powerful way… and then it feels like He disappears again.
Where you’re just sitting in the place He told you to stay, watching everybody else get their miracle while yours feels stuck in traffic.
Ever been there?
You’re doing the right things.
You’re showing up.
You’re trying to be faithful.
But deep down, you’re wondering: Why not me? Why not yet?
And maybe you’ve got people telling you to “just keep trusting,” and sure, you nod your head and smile. But inside, it’s getting harder to believe this whole thing is leading anywhere good.
I get that.
I’m walking through some of that right now.
But here’s the thing I keep coming back to:
Those disciples had no idea how long they’d be waiting.
We read the story knowing Pentecost was 50 days away – but they didn’t.
For all they knew, it could’ve been 5 days or 5 years.
They stayed anyway.
Not because they were superhuman. Not because it was easy.
But because Jesus had promised something better was coming.
And even when they couldn’t see it, they chose to believe Him.
So here’s what I’m telling myself – and maybe it’s what you need to hear too:
If you’re in the middle right now…
If the miracle hasn’t come…
If it’s hard to stay in the place He told you to be –
Don’t run.
Don’t rush the process.
Don’t assume silence means absence.
Sometimes the greatest move of God is on the other side of the waiting.
He sees you choosing faith over fear.
He sees your quiet obedience.
He sees you staying put when everything in you wants to give up.
And He’s not ignoring you. He’s preparing something.
So hang in there.
Your Pentecost is coming!
View all episodes
By LifeSongs RadioThe hardest thing God ever asked me to do was stay.
Not go. Not act. Not build.
Just… stay—especially in a place I didn’t want to be.
Jesus came back from death.
Like, for real. After everything. After the cross, the pain, the burial…He shows up again.
Wounds visible. Voice familiar. Breaking bread with His disciples like old times.
And just when you think finally, He’s here to stay…
He leaves again.
But before He goes, He gives them one simple instruction:
“Stay in Jerusalem.”
Not “Go tell the world.”
Not “Start something new.”
Just… stay.
That part always hits me.
Because if I’m honest, I don’t like staying.
Especially not in hard places.
Especially not in places that remind me of failure or trauma or things that didn’t work out the way I hoped.
And that’s what Jerusalem was. It was the place where everything had gone down. Where Jesus was crucified, where fear was still in the air, and where following Him could get you in serious trouble.
If I had been there, I would’ve wanted to bounce. Head anywhere but back into that mess.
But they stayed. They trusted. They waited.
And I can’t help but wonder, how?
Because I know what it feels like to be in the in-between.
That space after God shows up in a powerful way… and then it feels like He disappears again.
Where you’re just sitting in the place He told you to stay, watching everybody else get their miracle while yours feels stuck in traffic.
Ever been there?
You’re doing the right things.
You’re showing up.
You’re trying to be faithful.
But deep down, you’re wondering: Why not me? Why not yet?
And maybe you’ve got people telling you to “just keep trusting,” and sure, you nod your head and smile. But inside, it’s getting harder to believe this whole thing is leading anywhere good.
I get that.
I’m walking through some of that right now.
But here’s the thing I keep coming back to:
Those disciples had no idea how long they’d be waiting.
We read the story knowing Pentecost was 50 days away – but they didn’t.
For all they knew, it could’ve been 5 days or 5 years.
They stayed anyway.
Not because they were superhuman. Not because it was easy.
But because Jesus had promised something better was coming.
And even when they couldn’t see it, they chose to believe Him.
So here’s what I’m telling myself – and maybe it’s what you need to hear too:
If you’re in the middle right now…
If the miracle hasn’t come…
If it’s hard to stay in the place He told you to be –
Don’t run.
Don’t rush the process.
Don’t assume silence means absence.
Sometimes the greatest move of God is on the other side of the waiting.
He sees you choosing faith over fear.
He sees your quiet obedience.
He sees you staying put when everything in you wants to give up.
And He’s not ignoring you. He’s preparing something.
So hang in there.
Your Pentecost is coming!