Rev Gav

Hear

Luke 2:25-28

²² Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³ The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” ²⁴ So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

The Prophecy of Simeon

²⁵ 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 ²⁶ and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ 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, ²⁸ Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
    as you have promised.
³⁰ I have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared for all people.
³² He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
    and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

³³ Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. ³⁵ As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

The Prophecy of Anna

³⁶ Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. ³⁷ Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. ³⁸ She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

³⁹ When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰ There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Reflect

Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a devout Jewish believer and someone who listened to the Holy Spirit of God. He was waiting for the promise that had been made to Abraham, and spoken of by the prophets, to come true — the promise that God would deliver Israel, however he was also waiting for the personal promise that God had made to him — that he would see God’s ‘anointed one’ — the Christ or Messiah — before he died. And so, one day, he felt a prompting to go to the temple to pray, and while he was there he saw Joseph and Mary going through their ceremony and presenting Jesus. Even though Simeon was old, he trusted God’s promise.

Listening and being sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit is something that Christians try to do. In my experience, as we grow in our relationship with God, we learn to recognise God’s voice. It is a bit like tuning-in to an old-fashioned radio. Once you recognise the voice of God, it is easier to tune in, and God’s Spirit can speak to us in different ways — for example, through our thoughts, through the Bible, through our feelings, or through other people. We do not know how Simeon heard the Spirit that day, or how Simeon recognised Jesus as the one he had been waiting for, but he did. The point is that he was close to God, and, like Simeon, if we expect to hear God’s voice, then we need to stay close to God too.

Do

Trusting in God’s timing is easy to say but much more difficult to do. How can we be like Simeon and trust in God’s timing without being impatient or losing hope? Today, is there something you are waiting for? Offer it before God and commit to trusting in his timing.

Pray

Holy God
I will trust in your timing,
both for myself and the situations I am facing.
Help me be sensitive to your Holy Spirit,
that I might hear your voice,
and follow your will for my life.
This day and for ever.
Amen.

Think

Trusting in God’s timing is easy to say but much more difficult to do. How can we be like Simeon and trust in God’s timing without being impatient or losing hope?