WAITING FOR JESUS

All of us are waiting for something. It can be as simple as waiting for our turn in the grocery line or waiting for our train to arrive.

But it can also be as significant as waiting for the results of a dream school application, waiting for a long overdue promotion, or waiting for a loved one’s physical healing.

But as Christians, we wait for so much more. 

We wait for God to deliver us from long-withstanding sins. We wait for God to redeem us from our troubles. We wait for God to fulfill His promises in our lives. And we even wait for the day that we will finally see Him face to face.

If we pause and honestly ask ourselves, do we know what we are really waiting for in life? And second, how is our attitude in waiting?

There was a man in the Bible called Simeon who was tested in this area of waiting. He was an old faithful man who waited for a very long time to see the Savior of Israel and of the whole world, our Lord Jesus Christ, on earth.

Luke 2:25-32
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just 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. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the 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. Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

Very little is written of Simeon in the Bible. Yet through these few verses, we are given an understanding of what is the One thing that we should truly wait for. As importantly, we also learn from Simeon’s life how we can patiently endure the wait, no matter how long and painful it may be.

WHAT SHOULD WE WAIT FOR?

Waiting for Jesus as Our Comforter and Savior

At this time, Israel was in great distress because they were under the rule of the Roman Empire. They have lost their kingdom and have been in spiritual darkness for hundreds of years.

But when the perfect time came, Jesus came to earth to seek and save those who are lost. And when He came, He revealed Himself as the Consolation and Savior of the world.

If we are like Simeon who would also wait for Jesus to come to our present situations, He will also reveal Himself to us in the same way.

- Jesus our Consolation

Simeon waited for the One who is called the “Consolation of Israel.” This means that he was waiting for the God who will comfort Israel in all her troubles.

Isaiah 25:4
For You have been a strength to the poor,
A strength to the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm,
A shade from the heat;
For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

If we call upon Jesus and wait for Him, He can come as our Comforter and Uplifter.

Our God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 

He comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

- Jesus our Savior

We all need saving. We won’t need to be saved if we can manage on our own. But the truth is man needs saving. Left to ourselves we are bound for destruction.

But Jesus came not only to save us from hell but also to save us from our sins. He does not only seek to spare us from eternal hell fire but also from the bondage of sin. He wants to save us from ourselves.

He wants to set us free from the prison of sin.

And let us remember that this salvation is a gift. It is not something we can earn. He saves us not because we deserve it but because He loves us. All it takes from our end is a sincere heart willing to acknowledge our own faults and to ask for forgiveness.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE IN WAITING?

Waiting in Faith

The prophets prophesied the coming of Jesus hundreds of years before Simeon’s time. But despite those many years passing by without the prophecy being fulfilled, Simeon never lost hope.

You know how it is when you hear news of something coming yet it has taken a while? Somehow the faith in that news can weaken in time.

Yet, Simeon waited with great expectation. He did not think that that the word of the prophets was just an old man’s tale. He waited in faith. The length of time it took to wait did not make the promise any less true.

Simeon’s life tells us that no matter how long the wait seems, Jesus is coming. Maybe you have a difficulty today.

Rest assured that Jesus will come to rescue you. 

Remember the Words of hope that He has given you in past. And as you remember them, ask for the unshakeable faith of God to believe in them until you see them finally coming to pass.

Recognizing Jesus when He comes in our Season of Waiting

There are times when Jesus steps into our days concealed from the human eye. Many times, man misses God in his situation.

When one is going through a difficulty, it can be tempting to ask, “where is God in my circumstance? Where is He when I need Him? Why is He so silent? I am so alone.” When in fact that whole time, Jesus is there, just not in the way we expect.

The rest of the people in Simeon's time did not notice the coming of the Messiah because they were looking for a mighty king. But God chose Jesus to come as a babe.

So often, man misses God in his trial because he is looking for a God who will just quickly take the trial away rather than a God who will walk and guide him through it.

But let us remember than in every dark tunnel is a light at the end of it. 

In fact, God is called Immanuel, meaning “God with Us.” Know that He is with us even in the tunnels.

CONCLUSION

May we be like Simeon who will be waiting for Jesus to come to our situations. May we wait patiently and with faith. On that day when He finally comes, may we be able to declare:

Isaiah 25:9
…“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”