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
Throughout Scripture, God calls on people to wait. I must admit that I do not like waiting. I grow restless and impatient when I have to wait. In today’s passage we find another situation in which a man of God had to wait. Surely, he grew restless. Surely, he longed for the comfort and salvation of his people.
Simeon had waited his whole life to see the Messiah, trusting the promise that God had made to him through the Holy Spirit. By now, he was old. Did he ever waver in his hope that God would fulfill His promise?
Then, at the perfect moment in history, the moment chosen by God Himself, Mary and Joseph presented baby Jesus to Simeon. There, in his arms, he was holding the Messiah! All of his longings were fulfilled in that moment. God had kept his promise in His perfect timing. And now he has perfect peace in his life because he has seen Messiah.
In what ways are you longing for salvation for someone like Simeon longed to see Messiah? Who do you know that does not know Jesus as Lord? Are you burended for that person’s soul? Will you seek an opportunity to introcude the long-awated Messiah to someone?