Faithfulness in Waiting
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.” (NIV)
Can you imagine waiting many, many years for something that was promised to you? Waiting day after day for that life-changing offer to show itself? The very thought of being that patient seems foreign and impossible to many of us because in today’s society just waiting a minute or two for a cheeseburger is an inconvenience. Everything in our society is “microwave” ready and speed is of the essence. It in fact, is expected.
The Israelites waited centuries for the Messiah to come and when he did, most simply did not get it. They did not recognize who he was because he did not come in the package they expected. But there were a few who knew right away like Simeon. His faithfulness had given him insight from the Holy Spirit. He was so determined to do what God wanted him to that being in the Temple day after day was just who he was and he was rewarded with seeing the long awaited Messiah as he had been promised.
As we travel our journey in life, not everything comes as quickly as we would like. Sometimes what we think we want does not come at all. But the promises of God are good. They will be upheld because God is always faithful. What we have to do is be patient and faithful in waiting and rest in the promise that God has a plan for us. That plan is good, in our best interest and as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “a plan to give you a future and a hope.” We have to get to know God, His character, and we have to trust Him and rest in the love He has for us. Just like Simeon, it may take time but the promises will be fulfilled.
