There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said: “Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised. For my eyes have seen Your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples — a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel. Luke 2: 25, 26-32
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25
My words…
Praise
Lord, You could answer my prayers as soon as they leave my heart. You could give me wisdom as soon as I ask for it. Boom. I’m wise. You could heal me of any sickness in an instant. Yay! I’m well. You could mend a torn relationship in a moment. Hey! We’re good. But You do not work that way. You do not bless that way. From the beginning, You expected Your creation to wait – to wait for the coming Messiah, like Simeon. I tend to believe that the wait was lengthy before he finally held Your beloved Son in his arms. But I doubt that he complained along the way. The reward far outweighed the wait. You expect Your creation to wait for the day when Your Son will make Himself known again on earth. In the meantime, I wait through sickness and health, joy and sadness, success and failure. I know the reward will far outweigh the wait.
Prayer for me
I’m not good at waiting. You’ve heard me complain, “If I had a nickel for every minute I waited for (fill in the blank), I’d be rich!” Teach me how to turn my waiting time into growing time – growing in patience, wisdom, prayer, meditation. Instead of whining about how long I have been waiting for my food to be served, I could read Your Word. While waiting for the doctor, I could pray for the sick in the room. But it doesn’t come naturally for me to do that. I pray that I learn that waiting is an opportunity and not a waste of time.
Forgive me
Forgive me for wanting to move past the waiting and get to the answer right away. Only a fool would turn her back on a chance to grow more holy, more godly, which is what waiting on You brings.
Prayer for others
I set another prayer before You, a prayer for the same loved ones I pray for each day. You know them well. You see them now. I don’t know what You have in store for them, but I know You love them. And that is all I need to know. I trust You to answer my prayer in Your time, not mine.
Thank You
Thank You for answering innumerable prayers I have lifted to You. Some of them required little or no waiting!
More praise
The world is filled with reasons to wait. Parents wait on the birth of a child. Farmers watch for the time of harvest. Children count down to their birthday celebrations. Waiting is the road to fulfillment, which is exactly how You planned it.
