THANK YOU, LORD! I’VE SEEN ENOUGH!
What a long wait. Four hundred years after the last
prophet spoke of the Lord’s coming, many had given up. Those words
were just a myth. Only a few still hoped for the Consolation Isaiah
had written about. Only a few still expected him to come.
Imagine Simeon’s excitement when the Spirit told him he would not
die before seeing the Christ. He was one of just a few with hope
that the Light would still come. Simeon might have been seen as an
eccentric old man, an oddity around the temple. As the Temple Tours
Guide Service took visitors through the building and showed off its
beauty, they might have pointed out Simeon, the crazy old guy who
thought he was going to see the Messiah before he died. (Nobody
believed that anymore.) And then the tour guide would joke about
Simeon needing to hurry, ’cause he was running out of time.
On that day, I imagine Simeon almost running, wild with
excitement, when the Spirit led him to the temple. Before he took
Jesus into his arms, he knew this was the Light. This was the
Dawn of God’s visitation. All he could do was sing. Simeon had seen
enough. He didn’t need to know all the details of how God’s plan
would play out. It was happening. God was about to fulfill his
promise to Israel. Peace and joy washed over him, and he was ready
to go.
Father, thank you for the assurance you give us during Lent as we
remember how you kept your promise. Fill our hearts with thanks and
anticipation as we still watch for your promises to be fulfilled.
Give us each a faith like Simeon’s, always watching for your Light,
and sharing with all the truth that you always keep promises in your
time. Amen
Tim Meyer
