The Unfolding of His Word

”He has given us His very great and precious promises.” -2 Peter 1:4

October 1, 2023

Has God ever given you a promise regarding your future? Something that you are confident will come to pass, but you are not sure exactly when? Has He ever disclosed to you either through a particular set of circumstances or a series of events in conjunction with the Scriptures what He intends to do for you or through you? Do you even care to know? You can if you so desire. Seeking and knowing the will of God is a decision every child of God must face, and one that should be considered an obligation to pursue.

In the Second chapter of Luke there can be found an upright and devoted servant of God. A man who exhibited a profound sensitivity to the Lord’s voice and leading, such in fact, that he was able to hear the Spirit of God speak a distinct word to him regarding not only his own future, but also that of the world. This man’s name was Simeon (Luke 2:25-38). The Holy Spirit had specifically made it known to him that he would see Israel’s Messiah before he died: “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” (Luke 2:26).

God’s promise to Simeon was a guarantee so magnificent that it must have caused his heart to leap for joy. A dream and hope longed for would finally be realized. He would one day see face to face, the very person who would deliver Israel from all her enemies. This eventually motivated Simeon to search for God in the midst of the affairs of his nation. He was “looking for the consolations of Israel” (Luke 2:25). His heart was now set on seeking and searching for God. How would He work? What are some of the ways that He would fulfill His plan? Simeon began to look for the the fingerprint of God in every situation, since he had established a faith that was confident in God’s word. He knew deep in his soul and spirit that, “there has not failed one word of all His good promise” (1 Kings 8:56).

Moreover, what is even more intriguing about the promise made to Simeon is that through it God would break an extensive period of silence to His people, thus announcing once again through another medium the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ. “When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-6). God may also proclaim something significant that He intends to accomplish in our own lives. However, there is usually a period where we will not even see the possibility of His word come to fulfillment. It was so in the lives of his servants Abraham, Joseph, and David; “the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise” (2 Peter 3:9). God had declared to each of these special and beloved men what their futures had in store for them: a blessed child, a promising career with a privileged position, and the headship of a powerful kingdom. Each man went through a period of silence and extensive testing before their hopes were realized. Such might have been the case with Simeon.

We may also be individually prepared and in time when we are ready to receive his gift, He will open His hand to bless us: “I will bring upon them the good that I have promised them” (Jeremiah 32:42) Now, how would Simeon be able to recognize the One who would save this nation? Would he see a great warrior come upon Jerusalem to save them from their bondage to Rome? Or would he hear a great orator in the Temple of God rallying the men of Israel to join him as he delivers a profound and stirring message of liberty and freedom? Yet, as we will come to see, God’s ways are surely not our own nor do they reflect our way of thinking. It only seems reasonable that God had provided Simeon with some sort of a special insight in order to allow him to recognize the identity of the Messiah. When everything has gone according to God’s timing and plan, He may decide to give us a sneak peek, causing us to sense His hand at work in our circumstances and give us the ability to observe His activity in our lives. ”Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21).

Consequently, as we have seen, Simeon was a man who was led by the Spirit of God, and who regularly worshiped the Lord and kept His Law. On a day like any other, he was responsive to the prompting of the Spirit and found himself head-on with the aspiration of his heart, “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace’” (Luke 2:27-29).

It is also interesting to note that Simeon’s name means “hears and obeys.” When we are listening attentively for His “still small voice”, being led and guided by His Spirit, living a life of complete obedience to His will and Word, God will also lead us unexpectedly to cross paths with the very desire of our hearts (initially placed there by Him in the first place), where we will find peace and rest in the fulfillment of His promise, and then give praise and adoration to the One who loved us completely and fully: “I will instruct and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

Now, if there remains any doubt as to what we have just heard or experienced is indeed a fulfillment of His promise, the Lord will lovingly substantiate that what is actually occurring is the accomplishment of His Word, “And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher…she never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting's and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:26-38) God has given us many promises in His Word. He may already have given you a personal one regarding your future. If He has not, seek His will since he does have a distinct plan for your life. He has affirmed it: “‘For I know the plans that I have for you’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)