Tarry in Jerusalem

 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry in Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” Luke 24:49.

When the Israelites were journeying to the promised land, they had to wait in Jordan. In the same way, there’s a need to take a pause and wait in the process of becoming. I know it is not an easy task to wait, but there are blessings in waiting. The phrase in this article’s title “tarry in Jerusalem” in this context means “waiting”. However, it doesn’t mean just waiting, but waiting on God. 

Now, what does it mean to wait? 

To wait means to delay a movement or an action until the arrival or occurrence of something or someone. So, why is it important to wait, why do we preach waiting on God in Christiandom?

Think about ordering some stuff you needed and you definitely gave a correct home address, but when it was time to receive your package, you waited for the dispatch rider for like ten minutes and he did not show up, then you started assuming whether the dispatch rider got the wrong address and you left your street to another street, hoping to see the driver at the junction. But unfortunately, some minutes after you left your house, the dispatch rider rode into your street through another route and you are not with your phone. The rider waited for close to an hour for you before he left to make other deliveries for the day, but you were in another street still hoping to see someone approach you with your package which eventually did not happen. This is the exact outcome when you get tired of staying where God can find you. You made some requests, you prayed and God has ordered the answers to your request but you have moved from where you sent that request. How do you expect the angel to find you if you will keep doing hide and seek?

When Jacob went to work for his uncle, he definitely wanted Rachel, he did not try to ask for another lady except Rachel but he was given Liah first, Jacob could have left in anger, he was cheated, right? But Jacob waited still to have his heart desire granted. He waited without grumbling and while waiting, he was empowered the more, he learnt more about his uncle and he was even able to get more out of that land because he sincerely waited.

Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”. Stop leaving the faith street, stop worrying about how it will happen, stop worrying about how God will send helpers to you and whether the helper will get your house address. You don’t have to worry about that, you don’t have to how God will make everything happen. Just wait! Your own Jordan might be that place of obscurity, where you need to focus on God for direction, where you need to allow God sharpen your claws and train your wings for flight. Your Jordan is where you need to let God settle every obstacles that you may encounter even before you start.

Sometimes, you may become tired and nothing will seem like it is ever going to happen, everyone is going ahead of you and you don’t seem to know how and where to start. Tarry in your Jerusalem, wait and try to enjoy the process while waiting. That others are ahead of you now does not mean they would get there before you. Don’t be weary in the place of prayer. To tarry in Jerusalem does not mean you have to just stay there, doing nothing. While waiting, check around for things you need to work on while setting your gaze on God to make everything fall into place for you.

Every slight thought about your future or things you are worried about has been recorded by the heavenly. God can see how tough it has been, he saw how unfair things are becoming, God saw that you have been right all along in claiming what is yours and that is why he has sent the Father’s promises to you, a promise to give you an expected end, a promise to settle all your troubles in due course. But to get all those promises, you have to tarry in Jerusalem first. You have to learn, unlearn and relearn because if you rush and take matters into your own hands when God is not giving a go ahead, you will finish before God and that means you will run out of fuel when you ought to start the major part of your journey with a full force.

God has a purpose for keeping you now, he has a reason why he hasn’t made some things known about you even though you have all the qualifications. There is a plan to get you to a level where you  will have the stage for a very long time and still be impactful years after dropping the microphone. Therefore, moving out of faith arena to worry and grumbling arena won’t help you except if you will obey God and tarry on that spot God commanded.

When David was taking care of his father’s flocks, little did he know that he was receiving training to face Goliath, David was enjoying the process of fighting and taking down lions, he was enjoying the company of his flocks also, he never grumbled as to why he was being slide lined from everything he ought to enjoy because he is the last born, he did not complain about being unable to make friends, he never  had time to check whether a friend is still on his side or whether he has offended his friends because he doesn’t even have time to make one, he was enjoying the little freedom he has not knowing he was receiving a though training for the next phase of his life. And what happened in the end, David had no problem facing Goliath because God has equipped him with the necessary skills needed to catapult a stone into Goliath’s skull.

Conclusion 

Waiting on God has never been and will never be a disadvantage on your part. Although it may tarry, wait. What if your package gets to your address just the moment you decide to step out for some minutes? What if you miss that dispatch rider? Wait and while waiting, do not relent in prayers, God has everything perfectly planned out for you. Though it may be delayed for some reasons, WAIT.