Simeon's Waiting



"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" (Luke 2:22–52; focused on 2:22–32)

Waiting is a daily part of life. We wait for our turn at stoplights, in check-out lines, to cross streets, to pick up children or adults, for class or meetings to begin or end, and the response to our text or WhatsApp message—daily we wait. On a larger scale, we wait for "BIG" things to possibly happen in our lives—life to begin with birth, education beginning and ending with graduation, marriage, anniversaries, and even death. Spiritually, we wait for God's answers, our conversion to faith in Christ, His direction in our lives, and our daily walk with Him to see what He will do in His plan. We wait and wait and wait.

Simeon is not mentioned before this passage in Luke. We do not know historically more about him. From this passage, though, we see that he was "righteous and devout" in God's eyes and that he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Consolation is a Greek term meaning comfort. God had given Simeon the promise that he would see God's comfort and rescue for His people. We do not know how long he had been waiting, but we do know that when the Holy Spirit led him to the temple to see Jesus being dedicated to the Lord, he knew "he could depart now in peace" (v. 29). What a promise fulfilled! God gave Simeon the gift of seeing His plan of salvation through Jesus through the Holy Spirit. His knowledge of Jesus' life and death and resurrection—God's plan to save His people—was vivid.

As we wait—daily, weekly, yearly—for God's answers in our life, we often grow impatient. We long for clear, immediate answers from God, and we cling to our faith in Him and wait expectantly. During this Lenten season, let us wait—with patience and confidence— to celebrate Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. God sent us His Son so that we could have a relationship with Him, spend eternity with Him, and spend our days serving Him.

LET US PRAY - Lord, thank You for loving us and daily walking with us as we wait for Your plans and promises to be fulfilled in our lives and in our world. Please give us patience and a deeper faith to know that You alone are God, and through Your love for us, you sent Your Son, Jesus, to fulfil Your promise. In Jesus' name. Amen.


Location: Exmouth, Reino Unido

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