Worship 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. (Luke 2:25)
As we take a look at Simeon in the Gospel of Luke, the text describes him as “righteous and devout” in the face of what seemed to be a divine delay. In other words, Simeon remained faithful. He continued to live a life of consistent trust in God. He continued walking upright until what he hoped for came to pass.
As we read this passage in Luke 2, Simeon has grown older. However, the passage of time doesn't seem to affect his posture of worship and his commitment to God. We do not get the sense that his waning age has caused him to become discouraged, despondent, and down. And the fact that Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit is upon him helps us understand how Simeon is able to maintain joy in what must have been joyless times. He holds on, and he doesn’t give up because he is under the influence of God’s power.
That’s what the Holy Spirit does for the believer. The Holy Spirit helps us hold on when circumstances tempt us to let go. According to Luke 2:27, the Spirit actually moves Simeon. Because Simeon remains committed to the Lord and his relationship with Him, he is sensitive to the guidance and the direction of the Holy Spirit all the way until the end.
But what stands out to me about this text the most is that even while Simeon is waiting on the manifestation of God’s promise, he still has the presence of mind to be in worship. It had been four hundred years, according to tradition, since God had spoken in the book of Malachi. Four hundred years and no manifestation. Four hundred years and no update. Four hundred years of being on hold. Can you imagine waiting and wondering what God was doing for four hundred years? But when we read about Simeon here in Luke, he is still in the temple. He is still committed. And he is still worshipping.
I tell you this story because I want to challenge you to keep worshipping in the midst of your waiting. We may not have control over how long we wait, but we do have control over how we wait. And our attitude and our heart posture can have a huge impact on whether or not we choose to glorify God in our waiting or if we spend all of our time grumbling and complaining.
As we take a look at Simeon in the Gospel of Luke, the text describes him as “righteous and devout” in the face of what seemed to be a divine delay. In other words, Simeon remained faithful. He continued to live a life of consistent trust in God. He continued walking upright until what he hoped for came to pass.
As we read this passage in Luke 2, Simeon has grown older. However, the passage of time doesn't seem to affect his posture of worship and his commitment to God. We do not get the sense that his waning age has caused him to become discouraged, despondent, and down. And the fact that Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit is upon him helps us understand how Simeon is able to maintain joy in what must have been joyless times. He holds on, and he doesn’t give up because he is under the influence of God’s power.
That’s what the Holy Spirit does for the believer. The Holy Spirit helps us hold on when circumstances tempt us to let go. According to Luke 2:27, the Spirit actually moves Simeon. Because Simeon remains committed to the Lord and his relationship with Him, he is sensitive to the guidance and the direction of the Holy Spirit all the way until the end.
But what stands out to me about this text the most is that even while Simeon is waiting on the manifestation of God’s promise, he still has the presence of mind to be in worship. It had been four hundred years, according to tradition, since God had spoken in the book of Malachi. Four hundred years and no manifestation. Four hundred years and no update. Four hundred years of being on hold. Can you imagine waiting and wondering what God was doing for four hundred years? But when we read about Simeon here in Luke, he is still in the temple. He is still committed. And he is still worshipping.
I tell you this story because I want to challenge you to keep worshipping in the midst of your waiting. We may not have control over how long we wait, but we do have control over how we wait. And our attitude and our heart posture can have a huge impact on whether or not we choose to glorify God in our waiting or if we spend all of our time grumbling and complaining.
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