“The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah ... Anna never left the Temple but stayed there day and night worshiping God with fasting and prayer.” [Luke 2:25-26, 37]
Simeon was a prophet who spent much of his time at the Temple worshipping and praising God for his goodness and faithfulness to Israel. Simeon’s one request of the Lord was that he see the Messiah before he passed from this earth.
Anna was a prophetess who had been widowed just 7 years into her marriage. She was now 84 years old and had also spent the majority of her life at the Temple worshipping and praising the Lord God.
When Mary & Joseph came to the Temple to have 8 day old Jesus be circumcised, Simeon saw him and immediately recognized him to be the prophesied and long awaited Messiah of God. His excitement was noticed by the nearby Anna. She overheard Simeon speaking a prophecy regarding Jesus and was quick to add her own words of praise for this Savior.
There is no question that both Simeon & Anna exercised a faithful anticipation with regards to God’s promised Messiah. Their trust in God and his ability to do exactly what he had said should be an example to us all. God’s timing isn’t off, he does what he does at the precise moment that provides the greatest benefit to the people and the most glory to himself.
It should be noted that God will freely give a deeper insight and clarity regarding his future plans to a special type of faithful follower. God will know who should have these spiritual gifts bestowed upon them by virtue of their mindset regarding the things of God. Will the individual use God’s gift(s) for personal gain or to encourage the brethren with words of warning or hope? Are you one of the few that God shall use in this manner?
Prophecy is an “inspired (by God) foretelling of future events”. [1] It can create excited anticipation of a future event that is to come. It depends on how much you trust and have faith in God and his ability to follow thru on those things that he had declared thru his prophet.
What lesson(s) can we learn from this story? Regardless of our age, whether spiritual or actual, a person’s usefulness is never invalidated. God’s purposes require men and women of all shapes, sizes & AGES. In his old age, Simeon relied on God to manifest his prophecy right before his eyes and he was not disappointed. This story encourages us to hone our gift of discernment towards the Lord to carry us thru each situation in life. God is faithful to us ... in like manner WE are to be faithful to him.
Up next is a spotlight on Mary, the mother of Jesus ... Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
[1] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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