The Long Wait


When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”  Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Simeon was a righteous and devout man. The Holy Spirit had told him that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. We don’t know when he was told this, but it was presumably many years before Jesus was born. And what joy for him to finally behold the promised Messiah. His waiting had paid off. Now we are not very good at waiting, especially when we have these extended periods of darkness, like we are in a tunnel and there is no end in sight. If you are going through this now, here is a bit of Scriptural advice that may help.

One: Don’t trust in your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This means we should rely on God’s wisdom rather than our own. As Paul said, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Two: Put your hope in God’s word. Psalms 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” The word of God will not disappoint us because God keeps his word. 

Three: Know that God is hearing you. Sometimes it seems like God is deaf to our cries, but he isn’t. We need to have the confidence of Micah, who declared, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). 

Four: Wait with expectant hope. It’s like the expectation of a pregnant woman. It’s a nine-month wait for her baby to be born, but she knows that she will soon have the joy of holding a new born in her hands. So, let us cry with the psalmist: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3).

Five: know that God will take you through because he is with you. One of the most beautiful psalms David ever wrote was the one where he said the Lord was his shepherd. Remember it? The second half goes something like his: “Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23).

Say Amen!

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/gVNERckJg1E

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