Simeon and Anna, whose story is in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 2) give us insight into waiting for God’s plan to come to fulfillment. I would think that each of them had had many conversations with God, praying again and again for the fulfillment of the promise. As they got older, each prayer perhaps became more desperate. “Will I see your Messiah?” “Hey, God, I’m not getting any younger.”
There may be plans in your heart that you are sure God
placed there. However, they don’t seem to be coming to fruition. When you try
to move forward, there are closed doors. You keep looking around for the open
door or open window. After all, there’s the saying that ‘when God closes a
door, God opens a window.’ But that window doesn’t seem to be open, either.
This image captured from Facebook by “The Letterer” is a
reminder that God is always present and always working.
As a society, we are not good at waiting. Instant
gratification is the name of the game. We can download a new game to our phone
and start playing in an instant. We can zap our dinner in the microwave and not
wait for it to cook in the oven. We can travel across the country in just hours
compared to our ancestors who needed weeks or even months to make the trek.
Communication with friends and family is just a text away.
God’s timing is often much more deliberate. God works in our
hearts and souls to prepare the soil for the next thing. God worked in Simeon
and Anna as they waited and worshipped in the Temple two thousand years ago. Perhaps
they learned patience. Perhaps they learned to trust in God’s timing. Perhaps
they found their faith deepening despite the waiting for the fulfillment of
God’s plan. Perhaps they came to an understanding that God’s way does not
always look like we expect.
Imagine the surprise of the two elders when God’s promised
Messiah showed up as the infant son of a poor family from Nazareth. Because of
their time of waiting and preparing and being prepared, they were able to
recognize in the Babe, God’s fulfillment.
God’s gift is always better than we can imagine. It’s like
waiting for a stuffed dog for your birthday and getting a real puppy. Or
expecting a bowl of ice cream and getting gelato. It’s waiting for decades for
the One spoken of by the prophets and holding that Child in your arms as an
infant full of God and full of possibility.
Then you break into song! “My eyes have seen the salvation
you have prepared for all people!” proclaims Simeon. Holding the fulfillment of
God’s promise, he recognizes that this is not just for the Hebrew nation, but
for ALL.
God does not delay gratification, rather, God prepares us
for the best that can be. In 2 Peter 3:9, we are reminded, The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God loves each of us too much to give us second best. God waits until we are
ready and prepared, then we receive the gift of God’s love.
It is not easy to wait when we think we have a great idea or
ministry. Maybe you aren’t as ready as you think. Perhaps you need to learn
something that will make your ministry even more effective. Perhaps waiting
will help you grow in faith. God is in the waiting, too. So, as Proverbs 3:5-6
says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Next week we will finish our visit with Anna and Simeon.
