What do you do when you feel abandoned and all your dreams have faded? Acts 1-2

Acts 1:14 (NASBStr)

These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The disciples had just left The Lord.   He had ascended to heaven, while they stood by and watched.   Upon their return to Jerusalem, to that same upper room where John had laid on Jesus lap and Jesus had washed their feet, they began to wait and pray.   It says, "with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer ...".   One lesson here, perhaps, is not in what they did, but in what they didn't do.  It was a day's journey to get back to the upper room from where Jesus ascended.   They could have abandoned the cause right there.   Previously Peter already convinced them to go fishing.   Jesus showed up on the shore and they were convinced to leave their boat and nets, a second time.   It would not have been too hard to simply go back to what they knew.   They could have argued.  They could have moved ahead to start a church without waiting on the gift of the Holy Spirit.   They could have denied what they just saw.  Again, Peter could lead them in the denial.   But, what they did do, was pray.  In one of the hardest times of their lives; in the darkest moment of the movement (from their point-of-view) they moved together in prayer.   Prayer may be one of the most underused weapons in the believer's life.   We soon forget that we even have the privilege.  We also forget the power of it.   Coming together in prayer is so, so powerful.   Christ had told them that when they come together He would be in their midst (Matthew 18:20).   What better way to deal with the ascension of Jesus from them than to join together and cause Him to return and be in your midst through prayer.   We too often think of prayer as simply a requisition conduit and supply chain.   In reality it is a place where we communion with the risen Savior and bring Him into our midst.   They may have felt abandoned by Him.   So, they prayed to bring Him back to them, in the Spirit.   It was rudimental in the early days.  Peter, John and the others would perfect their communion, worship and serving together.   But, this moment set the standard for how to deal with the issues of life:  Come together in prayer.