A Family That Waits on God
Month 9: The Spirit's Power for Witness · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 24:49-53
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 praising God continually in the temple.
Memory Verse
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””— Acts 1:8 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 76-78
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 247 of 365 — Psalm 78 calls us to tell the next generation the praises of the LORD.)The Heart of It
Today we worship together as a family, and Luke gives us a beautiful scene to gather around. This is Luke's version of the very promise we have been learning all week. Jesus tells His followers, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (). "Tarry" means wait. "Endued with power" means clothed, wrapped up in God's strength like a warm coat. Then Jesus lifted up His hands, blessed them, and was carried up into heaven. And how did His followers respond? Not with sadness, but with great joy! "They worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God" (). Worship and waiting went hand in hand.
That is a wonderful picture for our family. A family that waits on God is not a gloomy, foot-tapping family. It is a family that worships while it waits, full of joy and praise. The disciples didn't yet have the Spirit poured out. That would come at Pentecost. But they trusted Jesus' promise so completely that they were already rejoicing. That is what faith does. It praises God for what He has said He will do, before we even see it. As we close this week, let's be that kind of household. Let's obey Jesus. Let's wait on His timing. Let's ask to be "clothed with power from on high." And let's worship Him with great joy in the meantime. The same promise Jesus made to them is for us and our children too.
Around the Table
Jesus promised His followers power "from on high" — like being wrapped up in God's strength! They were so happy they praised God all day long.
Let's do it: Pretend to wrap a cozy blanket around your shoulders and say, "Thank You, Jesus, for power from on high!" Then do a happy praise dance.
The disciples worshiped before the Spirit even came — they trusted Jesus' promise that much. That's what faith looks like.
Let's talk: What's one promise of God your family can praise Him for tonight, even before you see it happen?
Notice that the disciples' joy came right after Jesus left and before Pentecost arrived. Their worship rested on Jesus' word, not on their feelings.
Let's go deeper: How can worshiping God while we wait actually strengthen our faith? What does it train our hearts to trust?
💬 Conversation Starter
What is something your family is waiting and hoping for right now? Let's praise God together for it tonight, just like the disciples did before Pentecost!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The Gospel writers were not afraid to record the ascension. That is a public claim that Jesus visibly returned to heaven in front of witnesses. Luke even wrote a careful, orderly account "that you may know the certainty" of these things (). When someone asks why we believe, we can point to these eyewitness records. They were given so we would have solid ground. And we share them, as always, with gentleness and respect ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Luke ends his Gospel where Acts begins, with the ascended Christ and the promise of the Spirit. The disciples' "great joy" is striking. Their Lord had just departed, yet they overflowed with worship. Joy rooted in a promise, not in circumstances, is the mark of mature faith. It is one of the great gifts a father can model. Your children are watching whether you wait on God anxiously or worshipfully. Notice too the word "endued," which means clothed and wrapped. It pictures the Spirit's empowering as something put upon us, not produced by us. Lead your family to ask boldly for this. As you close this week, don't merely teach about the Spirit's power. Gather your household and pray for it. Expect the God who kept this promise to the apostles to keep meeting His people still.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, we worship You as a family, even while we wait on You. Clothe us with power from on high. Fill us with Your Spirit. Give us great joy in You. Thank You for keeping every promise. In Jesus' name, amen."
A family that waits on God doesn't sulk. It worships with joy, trusting His promise.