Staring into the Sky

I concluded this morning’s quiet time by encouraging us to set aside our fears, disappointments, and anxieties because we are in the presence of God who is directing us to our sweet spots. It is from this perspective we should be strong and courageous. This evening I want to focus our attention to the sky; as in, why do we spend so much time staring into the sky waiting for something to fall into our laps before we get strong and courageous? They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:10-11 They stood there drooling like God was about to make something fall from the sky like clay tablets with dates and times of future events. If the angels didn’t show up and ask the disciples what they were staring at, they would have surely fell into fear, disappointment and started getting anxiety over “not knowing.” This is what grips us into fear and anxiety in our lives–the time we spend staring into the sky wondering why we don’t know and why we don’t have? The disciples had no idea what they were going to do at this point, so they stared into the sky. They had just spent three years of their lives walking with Jesus and doing the work of God’s ministry. They were really at a loss. You may be at the same type of loss and the only thing you can do is stare into the sky hoping something drops on your lap. We stare probably because we feel abandoned, we feel lost, we feel forsaken. You may have been in a relationship and when the bottom fell out, all you could do was stare into the sky. You may have been at a job and now you no longer have that available for you, and so you stare out into nowhere. You may just be frustrated with life in general and so you let out a loud sigh and stare blankly. Just like nothing fell into the laps of the disciples when they stared, I’ll tell you right now that nothing will drop onto yours. This is especially true if you keep staring into the sky. I mean, I guess you may catch the rain. We spend so much time staring at the sky in our lives that seasons pass us by and we ask why nothing changes and it’s because we stood staring at the sky for so long that the world moved on without us. But here is the reason we stare: because we have a hard time answering the question of what do we do while we wait for the power of God through the Holy Spirit comes upon us for the next thing in our lives? Joshua, from the passage we read earlier today, was told not to stare; but rather, to “get ready” and “lead these people to inherit the land [God] swore.” I want to press us to think about what we’re doing with our lives right now. Are we staring at the sky waiting for strength and courage? Or are we living into the strength and courage of God’s promise and finding ourselves receiving the power of the Holy Spirit? I want to conclude with some reassuring news. At the end of our passage, the angels essentially tell the disciples that when something does come they will know and there won’t be any doubts about it. If you’re staring at the sky, waiting to be filled with strength and courage to face your feelings of uncertainty and pain, then I’m praying that you instead get ready to lead people into a place God envisions for your life. You are going to be a witness to the power of God in your life, you just have to be focused on your life and not the sky.