Waiting on God's Promises & Hearing His Voice in the Stories of Simeon & Anna

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 te 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.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 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 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. - Luke 2:25-38

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13.

Last week we started the process of thinking about the story of the Nativity through the lens of the many ways that God speaks to us. 

Today, I want to spend time focusing on the stories of Simeon and Anna, found in Luke 2, seeing how God spoke to each of them and what that might mean for us today.

The Context

Israel had not had an official prophet speaking to the whole nation words from the Lord in 400 years. They were waiting for a promised Messiah, and their collective life was looking more and more bleak. What would that have been like? How many generations does 400 years cover? What went through the peoples' minds when they thought about the fact that they were God's chosen people, and yet so many questions were still unanswered?

And yet, God was communicating with those whose hearts were fully devoted to Him, as we see in today's passage. The promise in Jeremiah 29:13 was not void - "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Though the world was dark around them, and many in their generation were straying from God, Simeon and Anna remained abiding in God and reaped the amazing fruit of having continuous, interactive communion with Him.

Simeon

Luke describes Simeon as "righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him." Devout means total commitment and devotion to God. Righteous means walking in God's ways. That devotion and righteousness led him to hold a posture of waiting - for what? For the promised consolation of Israel, a reality pointed to in God's written word in Scripture. 

While Simeon devoted his energy to receiving God's word in Scripture, the Holy Spirit also communicated with him separately (we're not sure how - still, small voice? Angelic visitation? Dream? Something else?) "that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." What an exciting promise! 

"And he came in the Spirit to the temple" - Simeon was so connected to the Holy Spirit that he let God's leading bring him to places day by day, moment by moment. Did he know why he was going to the temple that day? It doesn't say. It just says that while he was abiding with God, God led him there.

How many times has the Spirit spoken to us, to go somewhere, to say something, to do something, and we discount it as our own thought and miss what God has for us?

Thankfully, Simeon did not discount this word from God, and was there in the temple to see Jesus that day.

Finally, we see God speaking to Mary and Joseph and over Jesus through Simeon. The Holy Spirit gave Simeon words of prophecy to encourage them, and to celebrate and glorify God during a momentous occasion in salvation history. 

Anna

In the story of Anna, we see a picture of a heart similarly devoted to God. 

Anna lived what the world might deem a sad life. Widowed at an early age, she lived for most of her life without a husband or family, in a society that did not afford women many other avenues of significance. How did she use her time? "She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day."

What do we count as a life well-lived? Anna's life was a living sacrifice, a continual offering. She was the human embodiment of Mary's expensive perfume, poured at the feet of Jesus, a lavish gift of great value spent on the one most worthy.

Whatever your calling, friend, Jesus is worth your continual worship. What may seem like a waste to the world is the gateway to a life enjoyed in the presence of God.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1.

Anna was devoted to the word of God in Scripture, and she also acts as a prophetess, meaning the Holy Spirit spoke fresh words of God through her. It was this devotion to hearing God's voice and being with Him that meant that she was one of the first in Israel to celebrate that God had indeed sent His Messiah.

Conclusion

The world is so dark, friends. But God's light shines brighter for all those who would come to Him.

We can't carry it all by ourselves.

But God carries us. His promises cut through the darkness.

And those who give their hearts wholeheartedly to Him will live in His light, no matter what is going on around them. 

He is speaking - are we listening? There is so much goodness to celebrate and behold.