Waiting on God
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:26
I don’t usually feel grateful or happy when I have to wait. And yet the Bible often tells us to wait on the Lord. For example, David wrote, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14 NLT).
How can waiting be beneficial?
Simeon was a “righteous and devout” man who spent a lot of time in conversation with the Lord. He knew how to wait with calm expectation for God to reveal his will or plan. God rewarded Simeon’s ability to wait and trust by assuring him that he would live long enough to see “the Lord’s Christ”—the Messiah.
And one day Simeon’s patience was rewarded. The Holy Spirit prompted him to go to the temple. When Simeon saw a couple enter with a baby boy, he knew the child was the Messiah. He must have hurried over to Mary and Joseph, introduced himself, and said something like, “God told me who this child is—the Messiah!”
God then gave Simeon a prophecy about the child. He would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2: 32).
But Simeon’s joy may have turned to sorrow as he looked at Mary and revealed the rest of the prophecy: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against. . . . And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (vv. 34–35).
For so long Simeon had waited for this glorious day—to see the Messiah with his own eyes. And yet the day was tinged with sadness, for the Messiah would not only bring hope and light and salvation, but he would also expose darkness and sin, which would make some people angry enough to kill him.
Waiting on God to fulfill his promise strengthened Simeon’s faith. He was also willing to trust God when the promise brought unexpected results.
Are you waiting for God to fulfill a promise? What are you learning as you wait? Will you still trust him even if the results are unexpected?
Dig Deeper
Read Luke 2:25–27. What do these verses teach us about the work of the Holy Spirit? Can you think of a time the Holy Spirit revealed something to you or prompted you to do something? What did you learn from that experience?
What about Jesus’s ministry did Simeon reveal in Luke 2:29–35? How was Jesus “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”? How did he “cause the falling and rising of many in Israel”?
What are the benefits of waiting on the Lord according to Psalm 40:1–4, Psalm 33:20–22, and Psalm 130:5–8? How have you benefited from time spent in God’s waiting room?
Denise K. Loock
This devotion is included in our most recent release, Restore the Significance.