“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,”
Luke 2:25-28 NLT
Talk about timing! Simeon was OLD and had waited, and waited, and waited some more. We don’t know when he had this “revealing,” but I’m guessing it had been awhile.
Maybe the Holy Spirit nudged him when he was younger? Maybe as he went about life with family, or no family, singled or widowed. Maybe he told some others of his inklings from God. Then again, maybe he kept them to himself, like Mary did when she pondered all the mysteries happening in her life. I did a sermon years ago called, “waiting for the Messiah club.” There were thousands, maybe millions who were waiting for the Messiah, but a couple of them had this extraordinary experience of meeting him as a baby – Simeon and Anna. Anna was probably over a 100 years old and widowed for 84 of those years!
I like what Luke says in verse 27, “That day the Spirit led him to the Temple.” THAT DAY. Coincidence? No way. Providence? Absolutely. I had a friend call me to ask a very specific question. A serious, but sad question. “If the Holy Spirit prompts you to talk to a friend about their salvation and you don’t respond to God and do it. What happens if that person dies and possibly goes to hell. Is that our fault? Now, don’t get all worked up crazy over the question. It was real to them. They felt very responsible, very guilty. Because their friend did die and they didn’t know if that person had made a decision to believe in Christ’s provision and intention that no human would choose to go to hell. Folks think that we live a life, wander around a bit and then just accidentally find ourselves in hell all confused and wondering how we got there. Do you want to know about hell and why people go there? Hint: Read your Bible! Quit listening to a bunch of opinions from preachers tell you what the Bible says, go read it for yourself!
Back to Simeon. None of this was by accident, 100% of it was by design and desire from God because God loved Simeon and his lasting loyalty to believe in all those words the Old Testament spokespersons had said about the Messiah. That day, that moment had been set in motion before the earth was ever created! It was God-timed and perfect. Simeon just needed to be obedient and go to the Temple that day to receive the promised gift of seeing Jesus! So here’s the quick-tip I pick up, when the Holy Spirit prompts. nudges, whispers or shouts – JUST DO IT! There is an enormous gift, opportunity or even a warning waiting on the other side of that encounter. If you ask, “well, how do I know it’s God?” Great question. First, spend time in the Bible getting to know the ways of God. Then practice listening and obeying. The more time you spend with someone, ACTIVELY listening, you actually get a sense of what they are wanting even BEFORE they speak.
Simeon waited. He was patient and consistent. He listened and obeyed. And the day, the moment arrived, just as God planned. Then Simeon busted out with this cool prayer:
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Luke 2:29-32 NLT
PRAYER:
Dad, You know that I’ve been in your word and even more intentional about listening to your voice, your leading. It gets so LOUD with busyness and tons of minutia that I get all stressed out. I was stressed out rushing to work today! Why? I have no idea. I know that the load you’ve designed for me to carry is formatted to giving you MOST, if not ALL the things that get to me. As I get even older, like Simeon, I don’t want to miss out on the miraculous moments you desire for me.