And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
Luke 2:26-30
Simeon was promised something great: you will not see death before seeing the Lord’s Christ.
Did you know that there are things that God intends for you to see and experience here on this earth? Did you know that He will not allow you to die before then?
God’s promise to Simeon was not a promise just to see a child that would save, but it was a promise to see salvation itself come.* Simoeon’s response to God for His faithfulness reveals all: “for my eyes have seen your salvation.”
What has God promised you?
Was Simeon expecting a child? Was he expecting a strong warrior?
Whatever the case, Simeon did not try to manufacture the promise of God, nor did he take the promise. Though the english presents us with the language, “took him up in his arms,” a more accurate interpretation would be, “received him into his arms.”*
Simeon spent his time in the Lord’s presence, with verse 25 describing him as righteous and devout. Awaiting the Lord’s promise, it was the Spirit that put him into position to receive that day.*
Want to see God’s promise? Spend time in His presence; allow His Spirit to lead you. It’s the best way not to miss it.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to wait a little longer for His promise to come to pass. Perhaps today God wants you to focus on time in His presence. Maybe today is an opportunity to stop attempting to make God’s promise come to pass in your life. Maybe today God wants you to be ready for what His fulfilled promise looks like, no matter how unlikely it appears.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 2:8–21). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 122–124). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 74–79). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 78–79). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 84–85). Zondervan Publishing House.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 106–107). Word, Incorporated.