Joining Simeon?

All the battleship grey chairs were prematurely full. This early opening suburban surgery was abuzz. Nervous expectancy only heightened by each subsequent minute the doctor was late. Bottoms shuffled and seats scraped as they waited for a messiah to arrive.

Waiting can be a two edged sword. It can be a seed of blessing or burden. The expectant mother, the stock-market investor or the unemployed actor - all waiting; some blessed and some burdened.

Woven with an unknowable divine skill into each and every life is the season of waiting.

Guaranteed to accompany any brief or enduring season of waiting is a goal for self - I will own my house, the promotion will arrive or the cancer will disappear.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God ... (Luke 2:25-28)

Simeon of Jerusalem was waiting for the noble, not just the selfish. His heart was pointed to a nation's spiritual gain. He did not long for fortune or fame (although he did receive fame).

Simply, his patience was to see another's rule established - the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the hopes and fears of others to met by the Messiah. He was rewarded.

Unlike Simeon I am not required to wait for the entry of Jesus into this world; Christmas means the wait is over for me. 

But as with Simeon, 2000 years later I too can still embrace the Jesus who fills me with hope, empties me of fears and so give God praise.

Father thank-you that I do not have to wait to hold on to Jesus. Thank-you that You have given Him to me. I praise You for this grace and Jesus' undying presence now in my life. Amen

Today's Soul Snippet:

"Devotion is only real when unfaithfulness is possible." ~ anon

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