God will REWARD those who ‘WAIT’ upon HIM!
October
22 Bible Reading: Luke Chapters 1-3
God will REWARD those who ‘WAIT’ upon HIM!
And
behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was
just 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. So he came by 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 which
You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring
revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."
(Luke 2:25-32)
Simeon was
one of the godly remnants of Jews who was waiting for the coming of the
Messiah. Sometime before Jesus Christ was born, the Holy Spirit had revealed to
Simeon that he would see the long-awaited Messiah before his death. In fact,
Simeon would not die before seeing the Lord’s
Christ or the Anointed One. There
is a mysterious communication of divine knowledge to those who walk in quiet,
contemplative fellowship with God. “The
secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him” (Psalms 25:14).
Simeon was
specifically guided by the Holy Spirit to enter the Temple at the precise moment that Mary and Joseph were there with their
six-week-old baby Jesus. After that, Simeon was supernaturally instructed that
this baby was the promised Messiah. He was not only able to see the baby along
with his parents, but he could also lift the baby into his arms and utter a
special prophecy about Christ being a light for the Gentiles and the glory of
Israel.
There was
nothing special about Simeon that qualified him to take up the Christ child in
his arms and bless Him. The Bible scholars insist that Simeon was not an
ordained religious leader, and he had no credentials or special authority. He
was simply a “just and devout” man
who had a close walk with the Holy Spirit. Simeon (“God hears”) is an example of how God honors those who engage in lifetimes of quiet prayer and constant
watchfulness and waiting!
Simeon was
waiting for “the Consolation of Israel”,
a hope that parallels the hope of national deliverance for Israel. He had his
heart set on the messianic hope, which alone could bring consolation in the troubled
land of Israel. He was open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to impart
special insight to him at the right moment. Eventually,
Simeon was not disappointed as God truly rewarded his wait through His special
guidance and placing him at the right place in the right time!
Waiting upon
God is never a waste of time even
though some people equate ‘wait’ with
‘waste’. Waiting serves several
purposes, and in particular, it proves
our faith. Those with great faith like Simeon are willing to wait
indefinitely until they see they see the answers that they were longing for.
Simeon achieved his life-long dream of being able to witness the Messiah
directly. God will truly reward those who
wait upon Him!
