Stop before you go

If I’m in a car, I prefer to be in the driver’s seat. This is more of a confession than a boast. I want to know where I am going, what the most efficient route is, and most of all, I want to be in control. 

Our driving preferences are a direct reflection of our personalities. Patient people drive patiently; obnoxious people drive … you get the point. I obviously have a driven personality, which is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. 

Most ministry leaders I know are driven, which is exactly how God designed them. The original disciples were no different, which is why they were likely frustrated when they were called to come and then wait. They were commissioned to go, but likewise commanded to stop. 

Three years after Jesus called the 12 to come and follow Him, He commissioned them to go and make disciples. You can imagine how excited they were immediately after the resurrection, ascension, and Great Commission to change the world. You can also imagine how less-than-excited they were about being instructed to wait indefinitely for the Holy Spirit in the upper room. How would you feel if you were suited up to play a baseball or football game only to be sent back to the locker room immediately after the national anthem was sung? 

While reading about Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1, I noticed He was directed to do the same thing three years earlier. His baptism was His ordination and commissioning service, which was immediately followed by a 40-day trip to the desert with the devil.  

John the Baptist had recently announced that Jesus was the Messiah and now was preparing the way by baptizing Him. God the Father then affirmed Jesus publicly by opening the heavens and sending the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Then the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. 

Jesus knew when to drive and when to be driven, when to speak and when to listen, when to stop and when to go. Some people are better speakers than listeners, yet we can all learn from His example of stopping to listen before we run enthusiastically in the wrong direction. 

I have found at least four upsides to waiting before you go:

1. Waiting on God stewards our limited time and energy.

2. Waiting builds unity instead of frustration.

3. Waiting acknowledges the sovereignty of God in our lives and ministries.

4. Waiting is practicing submission to the Holy Spirit, who bears the fruit of the Spirit. 

Allow yourself to be driven by the Holy Spirit rather than by your own ambition or the agendas of others in your life and ministry. When navigating change, take time to wait on the Lord, as well as other leaders. Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him (Psalm 37:7).

And before you go out and turn the world upside down, first wait prayerfully in the upper room.