Patiently Waiting!

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Luke 2:25-26 (NIV)
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Luke 2:25-32 (MSG)
In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died.
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“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout [carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).” -Amplified

Those who wish to see God work mightily in their lives must learn to patiently wait while He does His good will. Simeon had been waiting a very long time to see this consolation of Israel to be brought about. This would be the comfort or compassion of God to be poured out on His people. The Holy spirit had actually revealed to Simeon that he would live to see it happen, but it had taken time for it to come about.

Jeremiah reminded the Israelites of this; “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.” -Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)

What do we truly know about Simeon? Not really a whole lot. Many of us have assumed he was an old man that spent a lot of time at the temple waiting for the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit in his life. What we do know was that he was a righteous and devout man; which means that he was upright and God-fearing. We do know that the Holy Spirit was upon him; which would lead us to believe that he was a prophet, because in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon them.

What is most important for us to know is that Simeon was patiently waiting for the fulfillment of what the Holy Spirit had revealed to him. Not only that, but his heart and mind were constantly in tune with God. Simeon was looking for God’s revelation to happen at any moment and he was in prayerful expectancy too.

Simeon was obediently and patiently waiting; and God rewards his obedience. We find the fulfillment of the prophecy in Luke 2:27-32, “Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: “God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.” -(MSG)

Oh, that we too could learn to be patiently and obediently waiting for God to work His good and perfect will in our lives. The same Holy Spirit that gave Simeon hope in waiting, brought about the fulfillment of that hope with great joy. God will never leave His children hanging. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].” -James 1:17 (AMP)

Let us be obediently, patiently and expectantly waiting for God to do His good and perfect will in our lives; today and every day.

My Prayer:
Lord, I want to be looking expectantly to see what it is that you are doing in my life. Help my spiritual eyes to be open so I can recognize what it is that you are doing in and through me. Help my heart to have the right attitude; for I want to be a willing participant in your glorious work not only among your people, but also in this lost and dying World. Lord God, we desperately need your Holy Spirit to move across our World once again in this day. Fill us once again with your hope and joy.

 

We will never walk alone.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 (MSG)

“God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.”

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“It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” -AMPLIFIED

When confronted with the challenges of this life let us always remember who it is who goes before us! Moses took the time to reassure the children of Israel before they entered the Promise Land that God would be with them and go ahead of them. In fact, He reminded them that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of; for God would never leave their side.

Knowing that we are never alone in facing the difficulties of this life should fill our heart with hope and assurance. Knowing this truth and making it our own though can sometimes be two different things. We can know this truth with our head, but the question is; do we believe it with our heart?

Over and over again in Scripture we find God’s promise that He will constantly be with His children:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” -Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

““Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” -Hebrews 13:5b (NIV)

Jesus’ own last words to His disciples were; “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:20b (NIV)

These promises were not given lightly, nor should they be taken so. Whatever our circumstances may be, whatever battle we may be in; God is right there with us. It may be a physical battle, a financial battle, a mental battle, a spiritual battle, or even a battle of the heart; God is going before you and He has your back. Trust Him! God will never turn His back on you or let you down. Every promise that He has ever made He has kept; could there be anyone else as reliable and trustworthy as He?

If God goes before us; then it must be safe to follow, right? If God goes before us who can stop us? If God goes before us what do we have to fear? Friend, God is striding ahead of us; He will never let us down. Trust Him and follow His leading closely! He has promised He will never leave us without His support. No matter what the circumstances may be Our God will always be available in the good times and also in our times of need. He will never forsake His own; trust Him.

My Prayer:

Lord, you have promised to never leave me alone and I take your Word for truth; for you cannot lie. Thank you for Your constant abiding presence; it fills me with peace, hope, and confidence. With God on my side nothing can touch me unless You allow it. You will never abandon me or turn Your back on me; that alone gives me the courage to carry on in this life that I live in; thank you. When I become discouraged forgive me, please, and give me a boast of your overwhelming love and encouragement; I certainly need it from time to time, Lord. Thank you for being the loving amazing God that you are. You are the best Father anyone could ever have.

Let us walk by faith, not by sight!

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (MSG)
It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.
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“…for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]” -AMPLIFIED

“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” -King James Version

How often have we personally been intimidated, discouraged, or become hopeless when faced with situations that appeared more than we could handle? When will we learn that what stands before us may not necessarily be as it appears to be and if it does, our God still is able to do the impossible.

Paul tells us that we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is “complete” trust and confidence in someone; the “someone” here would be God. Hebrews tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Over and over again in Scripture we see God come through for those who put their trust in Him. Impossible situations were overcome, because average, normal people realized that where they were not able their God was supremely able. David was able to kill a giant; while the army of Israel shook in their boots. Gideon defeated the huge army of Midianites and Amalekites with just 300 men; when no one else would stand up to the bullies. Moses was able to lead the children of Israel through the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army chasing them down, mind you. Each faced an impossible situation, but God did what needed doing. (He is amazing like that!)

God sent a messenger to Zechariah with a message for Zerubbabel. The angel came straight from the presence of the Almighty with these words. “This is God’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill. He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!'” -Zechariah 4:6-7 (MSG)

Charles Spurgeon once shared this thought, “Those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—”I believe in myself,” whereas walking by faith is, “I believe in God.” Walking by faith though says, “I believe in God and I am depending on Him to come through for me.” Notice the difference?

God usually does not reveal to us “how” He is going to answer our prayers, or how He will come through for us. He desires us to trust His good judgement and step out in faith knowing that He has it all in control.

“God has a perfect plan for us. He never does it all at once, just step by step because he wants to teach us to Walk By Faith, not by sight.” -Unknown

Let us live our lives in such a way that we do not give into fear, discouragement or hopelessness because of what we see before us. Instead let us see with our spiritual eyes and believe in our hearts that our God is able and this mountain will be moved! Let us step out in faith knowing that our God has great plans in store for us and He will use us in mighty ways to bring glory to His Name!

My Prayer:
Lord, sadly there have been times when I have given in to fear and discouragement; forgive me please. I want to be a faith walker! I believe that you are able to do the impossible, even in my own life. Please, give me spiritual eyes to see what you see. Use me in ways that I never thought possible, because only you know what my full potential is Lord. Here I am Lord, use me; I am stepping out in faith believing that you go before me and you will move those mountains that stand in our way.