Well, here’s what they did, in Acts 1:14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for a special gift, something he would give them to enable his ministry to continue. That gift would come at Pentecost. But meanwhile, they waited. And they prayed.
Not just normal prayers either. They joined together – their prayers were communal. They prayed constantly – their prayers were their first priority, their most important thing. And they prayed along with the woman and Jesus family – their prayers were inclusive.
I think there’s something to learn here, about what a Jesus-following life looks like, and what a good prayer life looks like. Because I think they may be the same thing.
I think Eric and Judy, my brother and sister-in-law, may have some idea what this is like. They’ve served Jesus in some parts of the world where it wasn’t very safe, and where Satan’s opposition was palpable. They lived and worked in situations that made them want to pray a lot – when they left their home, when they started a new task or finished one, when they went someplace new and when they got back home.
I think they had a glimpse of what it felt like to want to cling to the hem of Jesus’ robe, to be where he was and to have him lead. We should all long for the same thing.
A life of communal, constant, inclusive open prayer – read “talks with Jesus” – sounds wonderful. What’s stopping us?
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