“While staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,.. ‘you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
“So when they had come together, they asked, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?‘ He said, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and… to the end of the earth.‘ When he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven.., two men in white robes, said, ‘Men.., why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem… And… they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” Acts 1:4-14
So much had happened and shaken their world. Their Teacher had been crucified, resurrected from the dead, and lifted to heaven, having promised a soon-coming baptism with the Holy Spirit. They wondered at the new assignment He’d conferred, the announcement of His return, and what their lives and mission would look like going forward. In the midst of unknowns, the apostles gathered in one accord to pray. Harmony in the discordant moment among those called and composed by their Master was key to preparing for next steps in His absence.
A habit and natural response to chaos of prayer does much for the shaken soul. When the unexpected and unexplained jolts our calm and unsettles plans, our best resort is gathering to the Lord. If we’re not devoted to one another and prayer, we’ll stew in isolation and anxiety. Worshipping and beseeching Him together clarifies vision, faith, and resolve.
What is currently disturbing my world? A health diagnosis or ongoing debilitation? A tenuous job or financial situation? Relational or cultural stresses? What uncomfortable or surprising revelations have threatened unity in fellowship? What is my default reaction in these cases?
Jesus’s followers, knit closely together by commitment to Him, were trained to rely on one another and to go to Him in need. Together they’d been taught and stretched and promised. Their getting away to the upper room to seek Him in one accord is exemplary.
How and when do I practice communion with my Lord? With whom do I have a trusting iron-sharpening-iron relationship, honed through common service, where we draw close to the Lord together? How will I foster an accord of devoted friendship that honors and spreads the light of Christ? (Proverbs 27:17)
Lord, in a disruptive world, help me participate in and promote the accord your Holy Spirit gives.
As the rain and snow 