Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “ReDiscover Christmas”
Week 1 of 4: “Hope in our Uncertainties!”
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: ReDiscover HOPE!
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [which] was given to us. —Romans 5:5
He had been waiting. The old man was ready. Luke calls him righteous and devout. Simeon had been faithfully serving God for decades and watching for the fulfillment of His promise to send a Messiah. Each morning, he might have asked, “Is this the day?”
Then came the day when he felt that nudge by God’s Spirit: Go to the temple. Something exciting is about to happen. I have a surprise for you.
When Simeon saw the young family across the temple courts, he knew. This was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life. He probably ran to them, taking the baby from the surprised parents, lifting him skyward, then cradling him in his arms. And Simeon worshiped. He told God he was fulfilled, content; he could now die a happy man. “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).
Simeon is the perfect example of the man described in Jeremiah 17:7: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.” Simeon reminds us that hope does not disappoint. Why? Because, as Paul says, “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [which] was given to us.” God’s never-ending love for us will always come through in God’s perfect timing. The hope of Christ will never fail us.
Apply: How would your hope compare to Simeon’s? How might you spread a sense of hope by some small expression fueled by God’s love?
(Reprinted with permission from Outreach.com “Advent Reading Plan”)