Hope Won't Always be Deferred!

Read: Proverbs 13:12; Luke 2:25-35

It is still late December, and there it was among the e-mail messages this morning. An offer to buy tomato seeds. Some are even available at sale prices. At first, I was a bit put off. After all, we just celebrated Christmas. Are they rushing into a new season before I've even had a chance to sample all the different Christmas cookies that I have received? However, as I thought about the descriptions of the different seeds that were offered, I wondered about planting a new variety that promised that it would grow lavishly and flourish in patio pots. Of course, this kind of a promise is precarious depending upon the weather and other factors over which no one has control. Even so, hope based on the desire to eat juicy red tomatoes began to spring up in me. Yes, spring will come. God has assured us that the seasons will continue until He comes to set up His kingdom. We have a sure hope that this is true because of God's rock-solid promise to Noah, Genesis 8:22. So, why not plant and hope!!

When it is man who holds out a promise, there is uncertainty concerning its fulfillment. Even when a man desires to do what he has said, circumstances can make the fulfillment of his promise impossible. How different it is when hope is anchored in what God has said. He is the One Who does not lie and Whose plans cannot be thwarted, Titus 1:2; Psalm 115:3. His Word is flawless, Psalm 12:6. He is wholly trustworthy, and today we will meet Simeon, a man who anchored his life upon a promise he received from this awesome God.

We meet Simeon in Luke 2:25-35. He isn't mentioned in any of the other gospels, and after verse 35, we read nothing else about Simeon. We don't know his age, or anything about his standing in the community. We are told that he was a righteous man who had been waiting and watching for the Promised One to come, Genesis 3:15. At some time in Simeon's life, he had received a precious promise from the Holy Spirit. Simeon would not die before seeing Messiah. Imagine it. The One Whom Israel had waited for since Abram lived, Genesis 12:3, would come in Simeon's lifetime. We don't know how long Simeon waited from the time he received his promise until the wondrous day that the Holy Spirit drew him to the temple at just the right time, but what a joy it surely was when the promise was no longer deferred but fulfilled! How wonderful it surely was for Simeon to gather Jesus into his arms and speak words of prophecy over Him! Words of truth given to Mary and Joseph about Jesus' mission and Mary's sorrow. Promises that were as sure to be fulfilled as the Holy Spirit's promise to Simeon. No uncertainty here!

What does this story mean for us? We have certain hope just as Simeon had. God has given us promises in His Word that are as trustworthy as the words given to Simeon. Let's think about the scripture about hope found in Proverbs 13:12. Hope can be deferred or it can be fulfilled. We're talking about the God-given hope that is based on His sure word. Deferred doesn't mean denied, it means delayed. No doubt, Simeon waited for a period of time before he held Messiah in his arms. During those months and years, Simeon's hope was deferred. Delayed until the right time that only God knew. Simeon waited and watched until the perfect time for the promise to be fulfilled.

We all know that God's timing is almost always different than our own, but when we have a sure promise from God, even though waiting can be oh so wearying, we can wait in hope. God will bring to pass all that He has said that He will do. Either in the here and now or in the kingdom over which He will rule, Isaiah 65:17-25.

Lord, help us wait for the fulfillment of promises with the anticipation that no doubt, Simeon had. Lord, as we watch and wait, show us how to make You known to those You place in our paths.