What gets you excited? What motivates you to get up and go? Two things come to mind for me, one is amusement parks. I love to ride rides, especially roller coasters. The other is going on vacation. I get to see new things, maybe see family or friends, and rest from everyday living. While these get me excited, I have come to love something else that far outweighs anything this world can offer.
A man named Simeon in Luke 2:25-35 has the same desire in his heart that I have. I was thirteen when my brother shared the Gospel with me. I received Christ and for 10 years I understood that He was my Savior. When I was 23, I got married, and God led Rob and I to a foreign land called Oklahoma. There, God taught me what it means to have Jesus be my Lord. As I sought truth, God deepened my desire to know Him personally. I don’t know Simeon’s faith story, but by this passage you see how God interacted with him in a loving way just like God has with me.
God interacts in deep, meaningful ways to those who choose to believe Him.
Not only does God interact with you, but He prepares you for what lies ahead. Because of his faith, Simeon got to see what He hoped for. In verse 25, Simeon eagerly waited for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. He desired to see the Messiah with His own eyes.
How about you? Do you desire to see Jesus? While there are things in this world that you love, is experiencing God in an intimate way surpassing those things?
Simeon lived righteously and was filled with the Holy Spirit. God came first in his life. What God had to say as well as what God deemed important dictated the way he lived. While I love riding rides or taking a road trip or flying somewhere, they do not consume me where I live for these things more than God. God allows me to enjoy these things without letting them control me. I don’t live each day waiting for the next vacation. They are not my aspirations in my life, Jesus is, and I follow where the Holy Spirit wants me.
The Spirit “revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”26 Simeon believed, and God in His faithfulness fulfilled the promise given to him. The Spirit led him to the Temple where his path crossed Mary and Joseph’s path.
Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, “Sovereign God, now let your servant die in peace as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. Jesus is the light to reveal God to the nations and He is the glory of your people Israel.”29-32
There is much to learn from these few verses:
1. You must embrace Jesus. Often, you and I like to look at Jesus without touching and feeling Him, keeping Him at arm’s length. You and I are called to experience Jesus in a way that touches all your senses as He moves your heart towards Him.
2. When God changes your heart, you praise God. Your whole-being becomes alive to God and what He is doing in you and around you. Read Matthew 13:1-23 to help discover how alive you are in Christ. Which seed represents you?
3. Jesus is salvation. You need Him to escape the sin in the world. This world is heading to its demise. Because God is sovereign, when He says its time, He will end life on earth as you and I know it. A new earth with new heavens will be created for those who choose to follow Jesus and endure to the end; see Isaiah 65:17 and Revelation 21:1.
4. Jesus reveals God to you. You will come to know God by knowing His Son. This is why God sent Jesus to earth. He is the light to lead the way in this dark world so all people can come to know the saving grace of God. Want to know God and experience His promises? Take the time to know Jesus.
Any person who calls out to God will receive love, mercy and grace. If you want to know Jesus, He will make Himself known to you.
Because of his faith, Simeon knew spiritual things. How Simeon spoke of Jesus to His parents made them be in awe. At this time, Mary and Joseph couldn’t fully grasp the enormity of God’s call on “their” son. Simeon continued by blessing them and he spoke to Mary about Jesus, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but He will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him.”34
This prophecy couldn’t be truer. In this sinful world, God gives every person the choice to choose life or death. Life is found in Christ. Anything else has a shelf life with an expiration date on it. One is eternal and the other is not. I could chase around and fill my time experiencing amusement parks, but that’s not who God is nor His purpose. I can enjoy riding rides, but it is not my identity. I can take a vacation, but I don’t plan my days around them. My identity is Jesus, and my days belong to God. Through the Spirit, God shows me how to spend each day.
Here is something I have learned that keeps God in first place rather than letting my wants and desires control my day: When you desire something, like go on vacation or buy a car, pray about it first and foremost, then wait, wait like a month or so. Do you still desire it? Is God making a way to bless you with it or not? If no, then don’t go or buy it. God may want you to spend your money in another way or use your time differently. Be open to how GOD wants you to spend your time. Does HE come first?
God allowed Simeon to see his heart’s desire. God loves to grant the things that bring joy to your heart. When you let God lead your life, He reveals wonderful things to you. God will answer you when you have eager faith to see.
Carol J German 