Waiting Actively

READ: ACTS 17:16-20

Waiting is the worst. Or maybe I’m just the worst at waiting. Especially in the high school years, “real” life seems far away and dreams look distant. It’s easy to think about what we want to do for God in the future; it’s way harder to live that out now.

A few years ago, I saw a need at my school and decided that no matter how small my platform, I’d let God work through me to meet that need. It was amazing to see God work as I stood on a literal stage (the smallest stage on campus!) and used the talents He had given me to point my peers to Jesus. I’d never felt more humbled to be used by the Creator.

Paul found himself in a similar situation in Acts 17. He’d reached Athens and was waiting for his friends (Acts 17:16). In other words, even Paul, one of the most famous men of the New Testament, knew what it was like to wait!

But, rather than just sit around, the chapter says Paul used the marketplace to tell people about Jesus. He was waiting actively.

Yeah, sometimes waiting is hard. But even in the waiting, God is working. Waiting actively means living for Jesus no matter where we are or what season we’re in—trusting that He is working even when we don’t see it.

No matter what you’re waiting on, you can serve Jesus right where you are. You can use the crumbly floor of your cafeteria, the gravely road as you wait for the bus, and even the carpet of your living room.

Whatever season God has you in, wait actively. Know that you can serve God right now. In Jesus’ kingdom, you never know what He’ll do through you! • Sarah Rexford

• What are you waiting on in this season? How is your view of God shown in how you wait?

• How would this season change if you actually lived like you believed Jesus is working during the waiting?

• It’s easy for anxiety to creep up as we wait. Read Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:4-7, and 1 Peter 5:7. What do these verses show about Jesus and His faithfulness?

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)