Imagine the disciples' emotional meters in the weeks following Easter.
From the depths of despair to the height of marvel and joy when they
see the risen Jesus. They understand God's plan, revealed in the
scriptures. They receive
a glorious commission. With miracles behind and promises ahead, they
must have been poised for action. And then Jesus tells them---
to wait.
Jesus could not have asked anything harder of them. In the midst of such earth-shattering news, how could Jesus suggest doing nothing? Whenever we are told to wait, we suffer the same dilemma and questioning. Waiting is hard. We want things fixed, we want questions answered, we want to get on with it. But waiting is often the necessary step in preparation for a filling with the spirit, an empowering to reach a new level of doing. We need to be with our thoughts and sort them, to be with our emotions and honor them, to be with God and trust him. "Be still, and know" (experience) "that I am God." "...but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). 
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