“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.”
– Luke 2:25
What a great description Luke 2:25 is. Don’t you want these characteristics to mark your life? What we see in Simeon here, righteous and devout. Righteous, living in accord with the right rules, and laws, and commands and statutes of God’s word. Aligning your life with the righteous God of the universe.
God give us grace to be faithful, patient and to worship You even in the midst of our waiting.
Luke 2:25 Wants Us To Be Faithful
The God who alone knows and always does what is always right. Don’t you want your life to be a reflection of Him, His righteousness, His justice, His goodness? Simeon was righteous and devout. He was committed, faithful. Don’t you want that to be a characteristic in your life? In your relationship with God. Not the opposite of faithful, to be faithless.
Oh God may it not be so. Don’t we want to be faithful, full of faith. Committed, not just casually relating to God, but dedicated, devoted, devout. Committed in personal relationship with God. For his purposes in the world, this man was righteous and devout, and we was waiting. Waiting for the consolation of Israel. He knew God’s promises, he had banked his life on God’s promise, and he was waiting to see its fulfillment. And ultimately did in Jesus coming and Simeon having an opportunity to hold this child.
Luke 2:25 Prays That God Helps Us To Be Patient
Let’s be honest though, none of us really likes waiting do we? Waiting patiently for God’s provision. Waiting patiently for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Right? We live in a day of instant gratification, we want something and we want it now. Right now, immediately. And there are times when God says wait. As we walk through trial, as we walk through suffering, God says patiently wait. And those who are righteous and devout sometimes find themselves waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promise and the realization of God’s provision. So God, we pray that you would help us to wait.
This Verse Prays For Grace For Those Who Are Waiting
I think about things in my life right now where I’m doing some waiting. My life, my family. I’m pleading for grace in the middle of waiting. And pleading for faith to trust, to believe that you will provide, that you will be true to your promises. God, I pray for those who are waiting in different ways, listening to this in the middle of trial, in the middle of challenges, longing to see this or that come about, longing to see your promise fulfilled in this way or that way. God, I pray for grace for them as they wait.
Please help us, please help us to be marked by righteousness, devotion and patience, in waiting, trusting, following you in the middle of it, and worshiping you even in the middle of our waiting, to worship you. God, may what was said about Simeon be true of us. We pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
