5/8 Acts 1:26

²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). One hundred twenty of Jesus' followers gathered to pray and wait for the promise to be fulfilled. Then impetuous Peter stood up and declared that they had to replace Judas. He quoted a verse from the Psalms about another person taking Judas' place (Psalm 109:8). There was a sense that there had to be a total of twelve as in the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:28-30). Peter told the group that it had to be someone who had been with them from the beginning of Jesus' ministry and who had seen the resurrected Lord. That was Peter's qualification for an apostle.

The group came up with two names, put those names on two stones, placed the stones in a jar and shook out one of the stones. Though we aren't quite sure where Peter got his qualification list for the role of apostle, we do know why he chose from the two in this way. The people of the Old Testament era allowed the sovereignty of God to make difficult decisions for them by this method (Numbers 26:55). However, Jesus had commanded them to wait for the baptism of the Spirit. Though the one who was chosen, Matthias, was surely a good brother and witness of Jesus' teaching and resurrection, we later see Paul call himself the apostle chosen by God (Ephesians 1:1). We hear nothing more regarding Matthias, but Paul wrote a good portion of the New Testament, gave us the essentials of Christian doctrine, and gave witness of the resurrected Jesus throughout the Roman Empire.

It is a most difficult thing to wait upon God. We have our good ideas and reasons why we should get busy while we are waiting. We can even find a Scripture that backs up our reasoning, and we can pray for the outcome to be of God. But reasoning and good ideas are fruitless unless they come from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Our tendency to act before God directs us comes from our trust in ourselves. If our trust is fully in the Lord, we will wait for His direction (Isaiah 8:17).

Consider: Am I operating out of my own "good ideas" or at the leading of the Holy Spirit?