Waiting for Eternity
I recently saw a study that showed that, on average, Americans spend a cumulative total of 37 billion hours waiting for something. Living in the 21st Century comes with a challenge: waiting.
Simeon, a man whom we know little about, is a man who waited well. No, he didn’t add to the total number of hours the Israelites waited each year for their daily cup of coffee at the local drive-thru; he waited for something far more valuable, more eternal. Simeon was a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. (Isaiah 40:1, 61:2)
Consider the promise that Simeon had in mind—the comforting of Israel. It has been 400 years since the God of Israel had last spoken through a prophet, yet we find here a righteous and devout Jew who takes God at His word and faithfully waits for the promise to be fulfilled.
A second point of consideration is Simeon’s relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is clear from the text that Simeon knows God in such a way that the Holy Spirit was upon him, even some 30 years before the coming of the Spirit during Pentecost. He knew how to discern the Lord’s voice and thus it had been revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. He was faithfully waiting for the King who would come and restore, not only Israel, but all the nations back to God. Simeon literally experiences that the promises of God find their “yes” and “amen” in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
When he sees the child, Jesus, he recognizes that this is God’s salvation, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). His faith has brought him to this point. His life was one of faithful waiting, not for things that perish, but for the word of God that endures forever.
I believe that we often find ourselves asking God to wait for us, rather than us waiting for Him. We are called to wait upon the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth who is making all things new (Isaiah 43:19). Be challenged to wait faithfully and to testify in accordance with the scriptures, “Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)
Alan Castro, Tallowood Agape / Youth Ministry Volunteer
