“The Promised Holy Spirit”
He said to
them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by
His own authority; but you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (v.7-8a)
Here we
have Jesus answering His disciples question concerning when He would restore
the kingdom of Israel which was currently under Roman control. He does not give
them a specific answer - no day or time, but stretches them to see that all
events are under the loving control of God the Father. Meaning, there are some
things we just will not know in this life. Therefore, we are to look to Him Who
made all things and trust in His authority.
In the
second part of our text, Jesus responds to their concerns (their prayer,
actually), by promising them the power of the Holy Spirit. Having this inward
comforter, they could “rest” in not needing to know everything and “know” that
the power of His Spirit would be with them always.
The same is
true for us. To know the future is not precisely what we need. We need peace,
rest, and the assurance that God is always with us. We can only find it in Him
who holds the future in His hands. While answers to concerns are valuable and He
often gives us such answers down the road, simply trusting in God and the
comfort of His Spirit is infinitely better.
The Truth
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and
I am helped; Therefore my heart
greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7)
