The Patience of Simeon
“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.’“
Luke 2:25–32
Oh to have patience like this man Simeon had! For years he had been waiting for the Messiah to come. He trusted God’s promise to him that he would live to see the day of the Lord. He did not give up looking for him, waiting at the temple. Can you imagine how he must have felt when the Holy Spirit stirred his heart and revealed to him that Christ was in the room? What excitement! What joy!
Simeon knew that the comfort of God was worth waiting for. He had treasured God’s word in his heart and had a ready defense to continue to wait for God’s salvation, no matter how long it took. He continued to seek God, continued to serve God, and continued to trust God no matter what his external circumstances were.
Where do you turn to when you need comfort? Do you trust God’s promises to be your ultimate comforter in times of trouble? Do you trust Jesus to be your rest? What prayers have you been praying for years without hearing a clear answer from God? Will you continue to seek him daily and wait, or will you turn to other sources of comfort? There are so many competing consolations out there. We can find it in the approval of other people. In our jobs. In our spouse. In our children. In our reputation. In our successes. In our possessions. In alcohol. In drugs. In sex. In Clothes. In food. There is no shortage of options to turn to when we are needing comfort.
But what Simeon knew is that the only true consolation comes from Jesus Christ himself. “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word” (Luke 2:29). Notice that genuine comfort brings absolute peace. Simeon had waited his entire life to see the Christ, and the moment he does, he is at peace. The false comforts mentioned above will not give peace. They will bring discouragement, disappointment, and disillusionment. They will leave you always wanting for more, providing only distraction and temporary escape, but never peace.
Whatever you need comfort for today, lift your eyes and see the salvation that came for you with the birth of Christ. Let us follow Simeon’s example and wait patiently on the Lord rather than chasing after cheap counterfeits.
