Expectant Joy

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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”—Luke 2:25-26.

Simeon was moving through Jerusalem at breakneck speed. He was an old man and had seen many days. His pace had slowed in recent years, but not today. Today was different. Hurrying through the streets he didn’t have time to stop and chat, he had to get to the temple, the Spirit of God was drawing him.

When he arrived, he peered through the masses of faces, trying to see who it was. “Which one could he be?” he thought to himself. He had been waiting for so long. It was a surreal experience. To realize that he had been waiting for so many years and all of his waiting climaxed in this one moment. He was almost giddy with expectation. Could this really be the moment? He had spent his life seeking God, waiting for God to work on behalf of His people Israel. And then God spoke to him. Whether it was audibly or through the still small voice coming up from the depth of his soul, only Simeon knew. He just knew that God had given him a promise, that he would not die until he saw Him, the Lord’s Christ.

Questions penetrated his mind, “What would He look like?” and “How will I know it’s Him?” The area was filled with worshipers bringing sacrifices, priests walking back and forth, rabbis and their students, and children darting back and forth. And then, in the arms of His mother, he saw Him. He knew it was God’s Christ. There was no mistaking it. There was an indistinguishable and undeniable something that pointed to a baby in His mother’s arms.

He rushed to the young family. Breathlessly he approached the couple. He stopped directly in front of them. His faced beamed as tears of joy began to flow down his face and beard. Joyously he stared at the child. His parents were taken back. Who was this man standing in front of them?

Their astonishment gave way to the knowledge of who their child was. His short life was already filled with circumstances beyond the ordinary. His birth, along with the angelic announcement, and visits by shepherds and men from the east had already prepared them to deal with situations like these. This was no ordinary child, so why should they be surprised?

The old man introduced himself and asked if he could hold the baby boy. Seeing the joy in his face, she knew that he would not harm her son. She slipped him out of her arms into the hands of this old man. She knew that the tears he wept were tears of deep, abiding, and overflowing joy. He took the small baby into his arms and stared into the face of His Maker. In those little eyes contained the mystery of the universe. The one who held the universe in the palm of His hand, was being held by tired, and frail hands that were ready to head home. Through his tears he looked up to heaven and blessed God saying,

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
according to Your word;
for my eyes have seen Your salvation
that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to Your people Israel."
—Luke 2:29-32

Simeon’s life had been one of waiting. He waited on God. As the years passed, he waited. As his face changed and wrinkles came becoming more and more pronounced, he waited. He waited in the strength of his days, until the pains of life outnumbered the years of youth’s glory. The hair of youth faded into gray and into white, yet he waited. He had waited from the dawn of his youth until the sunset of old age. Then, before the sunset on his life, at the exact moment when the sun sinks beneath the horizon, came the flicker of the sun’s great brilliance. The fulfillment of God’s promise came to him, enabling him to see something greater than he could imagine. God allowed him to stare into His face. Almighty God was visiting His people through this child. God’s salvation had come and Simeon was given the privilege of holding hope in his hands. Heaven’s greatest joy had become flesh on our behalf!

My dear brother or sister, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for a family member, friend, or co-worker to come to know Christ? Pray on and wait. God is working. Are you waiting for a heart to change? God can change it. Pray on and wait. Are you waiting for a situation to get better? A trial to end? God can work His way powerfully in it. Know this, God works in ways that we can’t imagine, but the longer we wait in expectant faith and hope, the reservoir of our joy grows with it. And one day, all that we have waited for, all of the expectant joy that we have placed in God will be fulfilled in His time and in His way.

We claim the promises of God. He hears our prayers. He hears the cries of our heart. And we wait. We do not wait in dread or fear, but in faith, hope, and joy. We do not wait on ourselves, but on God. Hold on dear one, cling to Christ, and hope more and more in Him. He will not fail and He will not disappoint. And like Simeon, our faith, our hope, and our joy will find its object, which is Jesus. We will behold Him in a new way and tears of joy will overflow from our hearts as God shows us something greater about Himself through our situation in a way that we didn’t imagine possible. So, hold on, pray, have faith, and wait. Amen.