In her sermon entitled, "The Spirit is Coming", Pastor Milissa explored how God's disciples waited between Jesus' ascension into heaven and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Rather than waiting with impatience, fear, or confusion, they waited with worship, praise, and joy. This wasn't passive waiting - it was Spirit-enabled, Word-illuminated, active preparation for what God was about to do.
We invite you to spend the next five days reflecting and praying through this devotional based on that message.
We invite you to spend the next five days reflecting and praying through this devotional based on that message.
Day 1: The Gift of Waiting
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Psalm 62:5-8; Luke 24:44-53
Reflect: Waiting is not passive - it's preparation. When Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem, He wasn't asking them to kill time; He was inviting them into transformation. The disciples had just witnessed the resurrected Christ, yet they still needed something more: the Holy Spirit's power. In our instant-access culture, we've lost the art of holy waiting. What if your season of waiting isn't a delay but a divine appointment? God often does His deepest work in us while we're waiting on Him. Today, resist the urge to rush ahead. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to use this time to prepare your heart for what He has next. Good things take time. God's good things take God's good time.
Pause and talk with the Lord. What are you waiting for right now? How might God be preparing you in this season? Spend some time waiting with Him in these questions.
Respond: Thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Psalm 62:5-8; Luke 24:44-53
Reflect: Waiting is not passive - it's preparation. When Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem, He wasn't asking them to kill time; He was inviting them into transformation. The disciples had just witnessed the resurrected Christ, yet they still needed something more: the Holy Spirit's power. In our instant-access culture, we've lost the art of holy waiting. What if your season of waiting isn't a delay but a divine appointment? God often does His deepest work in us while we're waiting on Him. Today, resist the urge to rush ahead. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to use this time to prepare your heart for what He has next. Good things take time. God's good things take God's good time.
Pause and talk with the Lord. What are you waiting for right now? How might God be preparing you in this season? Spend some time waiting with Him in these questions.
Respond: Thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 2: The Spirit Illuminates His Word
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Joel 2:28-32
Reflect: The prophet Joel spoke these words hundreds of years before Pentecost, yet when the disciples heard them again through Spirit-opened minds, everything changed. They could suddenly see that God's plan had always been unfolding toward this moment. Scripture they'd known their whole lives took on new meaning.
This is the Spirit's illuminating work—transforming familiar words into living encounter with God. You can read the Bible as great literature and remain unchanged, or you can read it with the Spirit as your guide and meet the living God. The difference isn't your intelligence or education; it's your openness to the Spirit's revelation.
Pause and talk with the Lord. Ask Him if you have been reading Scripture seeking information or transformation? As you read God's Word this week, pray before opening the pages: "Holy Spirit, open my mind to understand. Reveal Jesus to me. Speak Your word for my life today." You may want to read a Psalm (like Psalm 1) today to put this into practice right away.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Joel 2:28-32
Reflect: The prophet Joel spoke these words hundreds of years before Pentecost, yet when the disciples heard them again through Spirit-opened minds, everything changed. They could suddenly see that God's plan had always been unfolding toward this moment. Scripture they'd known their whole lives took on new meaning.
This is the Spirit's illuminating work—transforming familiar words into living encounter with God. You can read the Bible as great literature and remain unchanged, or you can read it with the Spirit as your guide and meet the living God. The difference isn't your intelligence or education; it's your openness to the Spirit's revelation.
Pause and talk with the Lord. Ask Him if you have been reading Scripture seeking information or transformation? As you read God's Word this week, pray before opening the pages: "Holy Spirit, open my mind to understand. Reveal Jesus to me. Speak Your word for my life today." You may want to read a Psalm (like Psalm 1) today to put this into practice right away.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 3: Peace Replaces Fear
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: John 14:26-27, John 20:21-22
Reflect: After abandoning Jesus in His darkest hour, the disciples had every reason to live in shame and fear. Yet when Jesus appeared, His first words were "Peace be with you." The early deposit of the Holy Spirit didn't just comfort them - it transformed their waiting from anxious to joyful. They returned to Jerusalem "with great joy," continually praising God. What fear or shame is keeping you from fully embracing what God has for you? The Holy Spirit's presence brings the peace that transcends understanding. You don't have to have it all figured out; Jesus meets you where you are and breathes His peace over your chaos. Let the Spirit dispel your fear with His perfect love today.
Pause and talk with the Lord. Ask Him to show you how living with the "Peace of Christ" could transform what you are currently walking through.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: John 14:26-27, John 20:21-22
Reflect: After abandoning Jesus in His darkest hour, the disciples had every reason to live in shame and fear. Yet when Jesus appeared, His first words were "Peace be with you." The early deposit of the Holy Spirit didn't just comfort them - it transformed their waiting from anxious to joyful. They returned to Jerusalem "with great joy," continually praising God. What fear or shame is keeping you from fully embracing what God has for you? The Holy Spirit's presence brings the peace that transcends understanding. You don't have to have it all figured out; Jesus meets you where you are and breathes His peace over your chaos. Let the Spirit dispel your fear with His perfect love today.
Pause and talk with the Lord. Ask Him to show you how living with the "Peace of Christ" could transform what you are currently walking through.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 4: Laying Down Our Plans
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Proverbs 3:5-8
Reflect: The disciples had their own paradigm for what the Messiah should be—a triumphant warrior-king who would overthrow Rome. When Jesus spoke of suffering and death, they couldn't hear it because it contradicted their expectations. They were waiting for God to fulfill their plans rather than surrendering to His.
How often do we do the same? We wait for God to bless our dreams, vindicate our choices, or give us success on our terms. But the Spirit's conviction often reveals that our paradigm doesn't align with heaven's. True waiting requires laying down our agenda at the cross—our definition of success, our timeline, our carefully constructed plans.
This is sacred work. When we release our grip on what we think we need, we make room for what God knows we need. His ways are higher, better, more wonderful than we can imagine.
Pause and talk with the Lord. What plans or expectations are you holding onto that might not align with God's kingdom? What do you need to lay down?
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Proverbs 3:5-8
Reflect: The disciples had their own paradigm for what the Messiah should be—a triumphant warrior-king who would overthrow Rome. When Jesus spoke of suffering and death, they couldn't hear it because it contradicted their expectations. They were waiting for God to fulfill their plans rather than surrendering to His.
How often do we do the same? We wait for God to bless our dreams, vindicate our choices, or give us success on our terms. But the Spirit's conviction often reveals that our paradigm doesn't align with heaven's. True waiting requires laying down our agenda at the cross—our definition of success, our timeline, our carefully constructed plans.
This is sacred work. When we release our grip on what we think we need, we make room for what God knows we need. His ways are higher, better, more wonderful than we can imagine.
Pause and talk with the Lord. What plans or expectations are you holding onto that might not align with God's kingdom? What do you need to lay down?
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 5: Preparing for Pentecost
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Acts 1:4-14
Reflect: "Wait for the gift my Father promised." The disciples obeyed, gathering together in worship and prayer. They didn't know exactly what was coming, but they trusted Jesus' word. And when Pentecost arrived, God poured out His Spirit with power that launched the church into the world.
Your season of waiting is preparation for what God has next. He's not wasting this time—He's doing something in you that can only happen in the waiting. He's creating space for more of Himself, refining your desires, deepening your dependence, strengthening your faith.
As you approach this week's end, ask for a fresh infilling of the Spirit. Confess what needs confessing. Surrender what needs surrendering. Make room for more of God. Then watch expectantly for how He will move—in you, through you, and around you.
Pause and talk with the Lord. How has this week of waiting with the Spirit changed you? What you expecting God to do as you continue to wait on Him?
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Acts 1:4-14
Reflect: "Wait for the gift my Father promised." The disciples obeyed, gathering together in worship and prayer. They didn't know exactly what was coming, but they trusted Jesus' word. And when Pentecost arrived, God poured out His Spirit with power that launched the church into the world.
Your season of waiting is preparation for what God has next. He's not wasting this time—He's doing something in you that can only happen in the waiting. He's creating space for more of Himself, refining your desires, deepening your dependence, strengthening your faith.
As you approach this week's end, ask for a fresh infilling of the Spirit. Confess what needs confessing. Surrender what needs surrendering. Make room for more of God. Then watch expectantly for how He will move—in you, through you, and around you.
Pause and talk with the Lord. How has this week of waiting with the Spirit changed you? What you expecting God to do as you continue to wait on Him?
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
We hope you will join us on May 24th at 6:30pm for a Pentecost Sunday Worship and Prayer Night where we will have extended worship and prayer, asking God for a fresh infilling of His Spirit to do what He wants to do in and through us. And filled with His Spirit, we are going to intercede for our friends, family, city, region, and world - praying God’s kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.