Acts 1:12-14 - Fervent Praying

From Olivet, the Apostolic band took a Sabbath day journey back to Jerusalem. What's a Sabbath journey? It's the distance stipulated in the Jewish Mishnah that a person was only allowed to walk on the Sabbath day. It's about 1,100 meters and would roughly take about 30-45 minutes or so.

What do you think could be on their minds as they journey back to Jerusalem? Is it too much to imagine that they would be full of excitement and anticipation? Just think of the different things Jesus said that would come to mind as they were journeying back.

Now they were fullly excited as they walked back to Jerusalem. The item that would have filled their minds and talks must surely be Luke 24:49, "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Filled with that thought, they bee-lined for the upper room on entering the city.

This could well be the same room that they had the Last Supper with Jesus. What a fitting place! To have the farewall meal and also the place where Jesus talked about sending  to them the Holy Spirit after His Ascension.

This was the very place that they would usher in the Holy spirit. A place that eventually 120 people gathered and prayed, and received  the coming of the Holy Spirit. Hence, this must be a fairly large room to accommodate that amount of people.

In verse 13, Luke lists for us the key people of this impending movement. They included the remaining Eleven Apostles, the devout women who followed Jesus all the way from Galilee, and the Lord's mother and earthly brothers.

Tender hearted, the expectant entourage came together for prayer. They prayed unitedly, persistently, continually and devotedly. They did not stop till the Holy Spirit came on them.

Once you have truly known Christ, you can never have enough of Him. Your just want to have more and more of Him. But we can go no further in our spiritual walk without the wind of the Spirit on the sails of our lives. We need to hoist our sails to catch the wind of the Spirit. Individually and corpoartely, the Church needs the Holy Spirit for our mission for the Lord.

It's time to hoist our sails! How else can we catch the wind but through united, persistent, continual and devoted prayers? While the drift of this passage is about corporate prayer, what's more critical is our own personal prayer habit.

Personally, we need to be in prayer. Persistently! Continually! Devotedly! Be bold! Lets ask Him to fill our cup and keep it overflowing with His ever-living stream of the refreshing Spirit. For Jesus had said, "How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those  who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13).