Wait and Pray Friday 5

Sally created this week's Friday Five, posted over at RevGalBlogPals:
Part of the Ascension Day Scripture from Acts 11 contains this promise from Jesus;

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then he was taken from their sight into the clouds, two angels appeared and instructed the probably bewildered disciples to go back to Jerusalem, where they began to wait and to pray for the gift Jesus had promised.

Prayer is a joy to some of us, and a chore to others, waiting likewise can be filled with anticipation or anxiety....

So how do you wait and pray?

1. How do you pray best, alone or with others?

It depends on the kind of prayer: worship, intercession, etc. In the morning I have my alone time in prayer, which I cherish. Without it, the day doesn't seem to go right. Before bed, my husband and I pray together for each other, our family, friends, whatever other needs we're made aware of.

2. Do you enjoy the discipline of waiting, is it a time of anticipation or anxiety?

I don't mind waiting unless an issue is unresolved, for example when I was waiting to hear if I was accepted into seminary. Now I don't mind the wait before moving to Gettysburg because I know that's what we're doing.

3. Is there a time when you have waited upon God for a specific promise?

There have been several times. After my divorce, I never thought I would have anyone to truly share my life with, but I do. And I never could have imagined where it would lead--now off to seminary and ministry. Since we've been married, we have prayed daily for my kids to return to faith. My daughter has and has discovered what she was missing out on. She's involved in a wonderful community of faith. We are still praying for my son and his fiancee. We have seen God's faithfulness in answer to prayer in our time together.

4. Do you prefer stillness or action?

Probably action. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I just enjoy sitting and reading a good book.

5. If ( and this is slightly tongue in cheek) you were promised one gift spiritual or otherwise what would you choose to receive?

Wisdom and discernment--not so tongue in cheek. But if I could have power to heal all the hurts in the world, that would be great, though not realistic, so I'll stick with wisdom and discernment.

Picture from flickr.