It was the Place of Hope. It was the place where, after His resurrection and just before His ascension, He would speak to His disciples one last time. On that occasion, with the authority of a man who had just conquered death, Jesus would say, “Soon you will receive power, power to be My witnesses.”
He would promise them not the power to avoid trouble, but the power to live the only life worth living. He would promise them the same power that was keeping Him on course while His own worst nightmare came true. He knew these words would strike a chord, that they would thrill His disciples and fill them with hope.
“Soon you will have that power,” Jesus would say. “You will be able to remain faithful to Me no matter what happens in your life. If your spouse leaves you, you will be empowered to reveal My character. If your son is in jail, you will be able to go on loving him. That is your hope till I return. Never lose it!”
— Larry Crabb, Shattered Dreams: God’s Unexpected Pathway to Joy, p. 42