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(This call to patience and waiting happens in all our lives: a common experience in our walk with the Lord)
Acts 1:1-11, esp. V. 4; Luke 2:21-40
One Common experience in our Christian walk is to never stop waiting on the promises
of God: This is trusting perseverance. We all experience this in either the long form or
the short form. In Acts the disciples only had to wait 50 days, until the feast of
Pentecost, to recruit the promise but for Simeon and Anna, and remember Abraham, it
was the long form trusting. Because in God’s loving sovereignty, He retains the time and
the manner of all fulfillment and especially in the long time waiting situations He has His reasons: note Galatians 4:4-5.
1) Sometimes we don’t have to wait a long time; Acts 1:1-11 “only 50 days before
Pentecost”
2) Other times we must wait longer. This point is illustrated throughout the Bible
beginning with Abraham in Genesis and in Luke 2 with Simeon and Anna. They
both had important prophetic roles as to the identification of Jesus as the
Messiah.
a) Simeon was promised by the Holy Spirit that “he wouldn’t die before he
had seen the Lord Christ!” (Luke 2:26). This implies that he was waiting a
long time. Then one particular day in God’s time he was “moved by the
Spirit to go to the temple courts just when the child Jesus and His parents
would be there. He then prayed and prophesied over Him a significant
prophecy. God in perfect timing fulfilled His promise and Simeon did his
obedience verses 29-35.
b) Anna even beats Abraham in waiting time, she was possibly waiting from
a young married girl, her marriage lasted only 7 years. She spent the rest
of her life waiting or serving the Lord in prayer and fasting etc. She was 84
years old when God’s timing brought Jesus and His parents to her, to
prophesy(verses 36-38). With God’s help she was found faithful.
3) To wait upon the Lord in the Bible does not assume passivity but activity.
a) Both Anna & Simeon were actively waiting by serving in the temple by
praying and fasting etc: “Keeping occupied until He shows up.” or
answers. Consider the parable in Luke 19:12-27 who’s message to the
church is be faithful and diligent in serving God and His purposes until
answers, even in the Long form. May the year 2024 be a prosperous year
for your church and its servants and also for all our families and friends;
may we experience a much more fruitful year of ministry, service and
answered prayer.