“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’” -Luke 2:25-32
Simeon was a man whose life was marked by waiting. No one likes to wait. Especially at this time of year! Every year for Christmas, our children know there will be gifts for them under the tree, and yet it isn’t until the presents are wrapped and waiting that the real anticipation and impatience kicks in. Once the presents are there to look at, to tempt them, to pick up and shake—the waiting becomes almost too much to bear. You don’t hear anyone asking to open a Christmas present in September, but once there’s a tree in the living room and gifts laid beneath, there’s almost nothing else to think about!
These verses in Luke tell us that the Holy Spirit had given Simeon a very personal and specific prophecy about the coming Messiah, and the promise was this: Simeon would see Jesus in his lifetime. Can you imagine knowing the Messiah could be born any moment—waiting expectantly day after day…only to wait some more?
We don’t know how often Simeon came to the Temple, waiting and looking for the arrival of the Messiah, the Hope of Israel. But he hadn’t given up hope in waiting. He had patience and trusted God’s faithfulness to His promise.
It is so easy for us to give up on the promises of God when it involves waiting.
But waiting is so incredibly valuable in the steadfast, immovable faith it produces in us. And Simeon’s patience as he waited allowed him to respond when the Holy Spirit finally revealed the newborn Christ, and he “took Him up in his arms” and blessed God with praise and thanksgiving as God’s promise to him was fulfilled at last!
As Simeon awaited the promise of God, Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him. I pray that as we learn to wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled in our own lives, that we do so in faith and believing in His faithfulness. And let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide and fill us in the same way He did with the man, Simeon. God always keeps His Word!
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