Prayer and the Holy Spirit

In reading Acts 1-2, the spotlight is on the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the disciples would have power to witness when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). Then, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and enabled the disciples to speak in other tongues, which foreign visitors to Jerusalem recognized as their own languages (Acts 2). Yet, what were the disciples doing between the giving of Jesus’ promise and its fulfillment? “They all joined together constantly in prayer…” (Acts 1:14). I don’t think it was any coincidence that these praying disciples were the first to receive the gift that Jesus had promised. In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."