Jesus had told His disciples to return to Jerusalem and wait. Sounds easy enough. But think about how difficult that assignment would have been. Jerusalem had been the scene of one of the darkest days of their lives. They had seen their friend and Messiah put to death. Yes, they had been eye-witnesses to His resurrection, but He was gone again, having returned to His Father's side in heaven. Now, they were alone once again, and to obey the command to return to Jerusalem, the scene of the crime against God's anointed Son, was far from easy. They knew there were those in Jerusalem who hated them and held them in contempt. They were not welcome in Jerusalem. But Jesus had told them to go back, and had instructed them to watch and pray. Watching requires waiting. They were having to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised He would send in His absence. But waiting is difficult. It requires patience. And praying isn't exactly easy either, because it demands that we trust. Jesus didn't tell them what to pray, but only that they should. Watching and praying are two things that require us to put our hopes in someone or something else. We must watch, but have no control over when that which we are looking for will show up. We must pray, but we have no guarantee when our requests will be answered or whether they will be answered at all. But in Acts 1:12-14, we will find the disciples faithfully watching and praying, not knowing what was going to happen, but willing to wait nonetheless.
