34. Simeon

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It is interesting to see how the life of Simeon seemed to gather its significance from this moment. We spend years holding on to moments and encounters. For Simeon, it seems to be that he was waiting for just one. 

Idea 1: Patience Can you imagine feeling like something will happen and you have assurance it will, but then as the years roll on the reality of this dream stretches out, on and on. Would you lose heart? I honestly think I might, year after year just not seeing anything or even a hint of the thing you were convinced was going to happen. 

Simeon models an incredible amount of patience that I think we can really learn from. What areas of your life feel like they need a dose of patience? Is there stuff that you just feel has gone on so long, and you are desperate for the answer or end of it, but it still seems to roll on?

Share some of this stuff, express the emotion, the pain, the waiting. 

Idea 2: Timing So often in the Bible, and perhaps in our own lives and experience of Christianity, timing and ‘God-incidents’ don’t always fit with our timetable. The day Simeon meets Jesus, he didn’t know it would be the day, he turned up and there they were! Bam! This bloke had been waiting, was utterly convinced he would see Jesus and there he was.

God’s timing on things can be amazing, maybe you have experienced this too in some incredible ways. 

What examples of this stuff have you seen or lived through? It can be really encouraging when we share these God encounters and His timing together. So often we feel like the end will never come or that a solution or brighter day will ever exist, so maybe share some of your experience together. 

Idea 3: Passion I asked myself in reading this ‘what kept Simeon?’ What was it that remained in his heart those years to not give up? I think he was a man with passion.

I have been in the company of so many men who have a passion for everything and anything but God. This may sound harsh, but stay with me, these men go to church and tick the boxes, they look the part but can tell you more about golf, TV and what their last cruise was like before you hear a word about God. 

As interesting as all that stuff is, if that is all we have to share, hold onto and get passionate about, we are radically missing the impact our lives can have.

Action

Have a think about a few ways in which you can stir a passion for God, fan the flames and mobilise your heart, mind, body and strength for heaven’s agenda.