“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”” ~Luke 2:25-32 NIV
Have you ever waited for something? You know that thing you always wished you had, and it’s been years now, and you are still wondering if maybe this will be the year?
Yes, that was precisely what Simeon’s situation was. He had been anticipating the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets, and now he was old and probably wondering, will it still happen? I am sure you agree waiting can be challenging, demanding, and stretching! Maybe you’ve been waiting to see your unsaved spouse turn to God or waiting to carry and give birth to your baby, or waiting for your financial situation to change. Maybe you are waiting for your adult child that has gone down the wrong path to change course; perhaps it’s a pain in your body that just won’t let you go.
No matter what you are waiting for, know that you are not alone. You have company within scripture with so many real-life examples! Waiting on God can be challenging, but you know what? God is with you even in the wait.
Another person in the Bible who we see anticipating the Messiah is recorded in the same chapter as Simeon’s story, Anna. In Luke 2:36-38, the Bible records, “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband for seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Do you see that Anna waited from her teens until she became 84 before she saw the promised Messiah? This should encourage and gladden your heart, sister!
In fact, God can use your waiting time to strengthen your heart in several ways, and I’d love to share some of those ways with you using the story of Simeon and Anna, who both waited to see Jesus until their old age.
What can we learn from them about waiting?
🙏 Anticipation is neither good nor bad; we choose how we will wait.
🙏 Anticipation brings our hearts closer to Jesus as we daily fellowship and waits on Him.
🙏 Anticipation causes us to rely on the Lord even more because we trust that He will bring things to pass.
🙏 Anticipation helps us to develop character and resilience through our waiting season.
🙏 Anticipation also sparks hope in our hearts, and when that hope is fulfilled, it brings us even more joy.
So, dear sister, as we gear up for Christmas, if you find yourself in a season of waiting and anticipation, know that God is with you and bringing out His best through this season. Your heart can rest safely, trusting in God’s plans and purpose for your life.
Oluseye Ashiru & the Help Club for Moms Team
She is an Author, a Certified Clarity, Parenting and Family Values Coach, Trainer, and Speaker with the John Maxwell Team. She is the Founder of Mothers Arising, a global community of over 12, 000 mothers
represented globally across 24 countries in 5 continents.
As the CEO & Lead Coach at Mom Youniversity, she has had the privilege of coaching over 2,500 women in the last 7 years, through her training, coaching, and mentoring programs. Her passion is for helping mothers to be more intentional about their motherhood and to also equip moms with the right tools, structure, and strategy to discover, embrace and fulfill their God-given purpose.
Oluseye also serves as the Founder and Lead Disciple at ROOTED Disciples Bible School, a discipleship school with a mandate to equip believers with the foundational truth of God’s Word and to disciple others.
She is a published author of eight books and counting, and she also loves to write and
produce empowering content for women and particularly mothers. She shares this passion through blogging for platforms like Mothers Arising Blog,
Help Club for Moms, Thrive Global, Huffington Post, She Leads Africa, and her recent podcast series aired globally across 12 international platforms.
To learn more about Oluseye, you can find her on these platforms:
Website: www.oluseyeashiru.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/oluseyeashiru
Facebook: www.facebook.com/oluseyeashiru
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