Today I read Chapter 2 of Luke. In this chapter, Luke tells us of an older man named Simeon. This man was a righteous man who served the Lord at the temple and held on to a promise our Heavenly Father gave him. God promised that he would not die until he saw the salvation God had prepared for all the nations. (See Luke 2:25-32)
The incredible thing about Simeon is that he wasn’t just a righteous, devout man, but he eagerly waited for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. For Simeon, it wasn’t a question of “if” it would happen but “when.” Simeon had this kind of hope.
According to Oxford Dictionary, hope is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”
The Old Hebrew word “hope” is often translated as “wait.” What does this mean? It’s not wishful thinking with our fingers crossed. It means to have the confident expectation that something good is coming. But, since it hasn’t happened, we remain alert because hope pays attention. It may not happen right away, but it will happen. This was the hope that Simeon had.
When prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon went to the temple and saw the promised Messiah. (Luke 2:28-29)
Today, I witnessed what happens when we place our hope in the Lord. Hope is a feeling of expectancy and desire for a sure thing to happen. The Lord brought to mind Simeon while I sat in the waiting room for the doctor to tell us if my husband was a candidate for surgery and when he could have the surgery.
The doctor assured my husband he was a candidate for surgery, but the hospital was booked through the end of the year. I saw the disappointment in my husband’s eyes.
I immediately turned to my Abba and said, “Father, I know you have good plans for my husband; and I know and believe with expectancy that this surgery will happen at your time. So therefore, I will wait with confidence, knowing it will happen.
My husband was silent as we drove home. Then, exactly 45 minutes after we left the doctor’s office, we received a call from the surgeon telling us that there was an opening for September 6th.
My husband was speechless. He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what happened, but I did. My Abba moved and opened the door. He opened a door that was closed. Why? Because I waited for God’s timing and believed that He would.
Friends, let me encourage you to hold on to your hope, your faith. God will show up and will exceed your expectations.
Father, thank you for reminding me today of the importance of living in hope and with the confidence that you never let us down when we wait on you. Teach us, Lord, to live like Simeon, who never doubted what you promised would happen in your time. In the precious name of Jesus’ amen!