He Shall Reign預覽

In today’s reading, we meet Simeon - a righteous man who was close to the Father and was looking forward to Israel’s consolation. He knew thanks to the Holy Spirit that he would get to meet the Messiah before passing away and was holding fast to that promise. Experts believe that he could have been about 200 years old when the day finally came! Can you imagine how he must have felt some days during that span of time? When you’re in a season of waiting, it’s not really something that you want to brag about. There’s often conflicting feelings between the excitement towards the goodness that is to come and the discontentment towards the season that you’re currently in. It can lead to us feeling stuck, confused, isolated, and impatient. 

But when that day of blessing and closure comes, how incredible is it?

The day that Simeon had been expectantly waiting for finally arrived, and it’s like he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. God remembered the promise He made, He fulfilled it, and Simeon got to see His faithfulness in the most pure and holy form played out in front of him. This line in his prophetic praise sums it up: “My eyes have seen your salvation”. What an absolute privilege that must have been! He knew that this young, innocent baby was going to be so much more than just that; Jesus was going to be the mighty warrior to shatter the schemes of the enemy.

Just as Simeon walked in joy and assurance of God being reliably Himself, we can as well. In Psalm 97, the Psalmist describes just how sovereign our God is. He says that “righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne”, that “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD”, and that “the heavens proclaim his righteousness”. At a glance, this may instill a fear of the Lord, which is a completely appropriate response. But it shouldn’t go unnoticed that this Psalm opens with the line, “The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad”. This establishes a standard of celebration of who God is! We can walk daily with the assurance that Simeon walked in because of Christ’s Lordship. We can rest in His promises and know that they will be fulfilled. We can worship, leading us to joy and eternal rest.

APPLICATION:

Take some time to write down all of the times that God has kept His promises in your life and the lives of others around you. This will serve as an encouragement to you now if you’re waiting - and if you aren’t right now, it’ll encourage you when that time comes! Be bold and honest with God, and thank Him for His perfect timing and reign, even when we don’t understand it.