In the waiting…

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 on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  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, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
       a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

Luke 2:25-32

 Expectant waiting is the foundation of the spiritual life. Simone Weil

Simeon, described as righteous and devout, was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died.  What an honor as well as encouragement to persevere in life and faith!  After what we may guess was years of waiting, he not only got to see Messiah, but hold baby Jesus and encourage Joseph and Mary through a spontaneous God-given prophesy. There’s a little more to this story, but we’ll save that for another day.

Though there’s little more to the story, both before and after these verses, we’ll save that for another day and focus on just one of the aspects of this part of the story. Waiting.

Waiting is hard.  No way around it. Young children wriggle with impatience. Teens get frustrated with having to wait for a drivers license or to finish high school.  Adults want that perfect job or spouse or friend…right now!  Yet God is with us in the waiting. He knows the timing of realizing our dreams that are in our best interest and so, in His will.  As we trust God in the waiting, our relationship with Him grows closer and we are reminded that our relationship with God is our best enduring gift. 

 When impatience tugs at your heart, hold tight to God and talk with him in prayer.  Not with a list of demands but a conversation with the One who loves you the most. It’s okay to honestly share your deep hope yet it’s important to trust Him even when your timeline is not His.