Just An Ordinary Day | Simeon
by Daniel Burton
It was just an ordinary day for Simeon.
Luke describes Simeon as righteous and devout. The Lord told him that he would not die until he saw the Savior who would come. So, the life of Simeon became a waiting game for God to reveal Himself. God gave no indication to Simeon as to when or where Christ would appear nor would there be circumstances that could hasten the coming. Everything would be completed on God’s timing and providence. Thus, for Simeon, expectation and waiting on the Lord became the every day, the mundane, and the normal. Until one day, a single event would fulfill the prophesies and the prophet who would speak them.
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. 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 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.
Waiting on The Lord
Simeon waited on the Lord to fulfill the promises that He gave. He would have viewed it as an honor to see the Savior in His lifetime but was immediately confronted with the idea of not knowing exactly when it would come. Surely, at some point, he considered the possibility that he had heard wrong, interpreted incorrectly, or maybe just dreamt the entire encounter. Every day became a task of faith and waiting on the Lord to deliver on His promises and nothing Simeon would do would hasten the delivery of God’s promises. Simeon could have easily given up hope but instead He remains forever inscribed in scriptures as righteous and devout. Every day presented him with thousands of reasons and opportunities to lose faith but instead displayed the discipline of waiting on the Lord.
The discipline of waiting exercises faith to believe that God will provide and fulfill all His promises and purposes in His divine timing regardless of what we see or feel. It turns the ordinary days into exercises of extraordinary spiritual faith. The supernatural expresses itself in the natural and we persevere. Yet, we should never view the exercise of waiting on God as a gamble on whether or not God will provide. It rests in the immutability, providence, and sovereignty of God. Our God reigns on the throne over all things. When He promises, His word will not return to us empty but will fulfill every last letter to what He says. This is precisely why Simeon could endure every day, not because he felt he might see the Savior but because he knew he would and understood that was all he needed.
Christ Is All We Need
Simeon lived in expectation that the Savior would come and he would be graced by His presence. Thus, for every day, Simeon lives as one expecting the presence of the Savior. During the time of advent, we look at the first come of Jesus Christ to remind us of the certain future of Christ’s second coming. We find ourselves in a situation similar to Simeon of knowing the truth that Jesus Christ will return for His people but being here in the process. Yet, we live our lives in faith knowing the truth that Jesus will return to draw His people to himself. When we have Jesus Christ, we have all we need for eternal safety and security. Nothing will compare with the presence of Jesus Christ.
Our lives should reveal our eager expectation that Christ will come again and that Christ is all we need. Whatever we face, we can face with the same enduring faith that Simeon woke up with day trusting in the promises of God despite the many days of seeing nothing but knowing that everything was coming. In the same way, God will not leave us unfulfilled and on our own. Instead, we have the hope and trust that Christ has overcome and will provide for our every need. The rest of the world will see just an ordinary day, but for the Christian whose faith and hope remain in Him, we the opportunity to trust in His unfailing grace knowing that we too will one day see our Savior face to face.
For more in this series, check out Just An Ordinary Day
