To see Christ

“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”” - Luke 2:28-32

I've only read this story once or twice, but I recently stumbled on this and started thinking about it again. Shortly after Jesus' birth, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the tabernacle to be consecrated to the Lord. In the temple was a man named Simeon. The bible says that Simeon was a righteous man living in Jerusalem. The bible also says that he was Devout and the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. That right there should let you know that Simeon's relationship with God was deep and intimate. God told Simeon that he would see the savior of the world before he would die and simeon worked diligently and waited for God to reveal his promise to him. How many times do we wait on the Lord? We are so concerned with this or that.. with our own concerns. Our own needs.

I wonder how it must of felt for Simeon to see the Christ as a baby. Simeon must've felt validated by God at that moment in extreme peace and admiration that God would give him such an Honor. I'm starting to realize that God is willing and able to validate us everyday of our life. Our self-esteem, our drive, our focus if placed in his hands will be increased. Other things that seemed so important, so trendy, so necessary, tend to fade away. Once we get a true portion of God, not a selfish portion, but a true life-changing portion, we become thirsty for his presence. Thirsty for his guidance. Thirsty for his approval. Just plain thirsty after him. We then soon realize that its not a phase. Its Real Life. This world is transient. All that we do here is just a test to build our character and our trust in God. So that when we get to heaven we can actually continue the relationship we started here on earth.

Simeon fortunate and blessed. Soon afterward he died, but Simeon knew that his faith had stood the test. He saw the Christ before he died just like the Holy Spirit revealed to him, and he went to sleep knowing that the next face he would see would be Christ again!

Faith. Trust. Waiting in anticipation. Patience. Hope. Love. Obedience.

You and I also have an opportunity to see Christ's face, let's yearn to build on these disciplines each day.

J. W.