Remembering. Recognizing. Readying.

Advent is a season made for people like Simeon. People like him know what it means to wait, to hope, to hold on when the years feel long and the world grows dim. Scripture doesn’t tell us Simeon’s age, but Luke paints the picture of a man well acquainted with time. He had lived enough life to know and understand both disappointment and faithfulness, both longing and the quiet confidence that only experience can teach us.

And yet, he waited.

Not with resignation. Not with bitterness. But with expectation.

In the Gospel of Luke, we find Simeon waiting with a heart filled with an expectant anticipation that leans on God’s promise even when he it might be difficult to see it.

In this way, Simeon serves as a guide for us during Advent, leading each of us into a rhythm of Remembering, Recognizing, and Readying.

Luke 2:25-32 ESV

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Remembering: Trusting the God Who Keeps His Promises

Simeon lived his life anchored in one thing:

God had spoken.

Simeon remembered the promises given to Israel by the Lord, Himself: light for the nations, salvation for God’s people, and a Messiah who would step into the world’s darkest corners to bring healing. Remembering kept Simeon’s heart soft. It kept him from giving up.

Advent invites us into that same remembering. We look back:

• to the manger,
• to the prophets,
• to the overarching story of God continuing to show up throughout Scripture.

Remembering is how we steady our souls when waiting stretches time longer than we expected.

Recognizing: Seeing God in the Ordinary

When Mary and Joseph walked into the Temple carrying the infant Jesus, absolutely nothing about them screamed “Messiah.” They were young, tired, poor. One more couple among many. Yet, Simeon recognized the presence of God in the taken-for-granted ordinary.

Simeon didn’t miss Him.
He didn’t overlook Him.
He certainly didn’t presume God would arrive wrapped in glory.

Simeon teaches us that holy recognition begins with a posture of attentiveness.

Advent sharpens our sight.

It trains us to look for God’s presence in places we tend to ignore: in small kindnesses, in quiet mornings, and in the unanswered prayers that stretch our faith. Advent help us see in the moments that whisper rather than shout.

God still comes quietly. You and I must be people who recognize Him. That is our responsibility in this relationship.

Readying: Living Today in Light of Tomorrow

Simeon lived prepared. When the Spirit nudged him toward the Temple, he went. When the moment arrived, he was present. When God fulfilled His promise, Simeon’s heart was ready to receive it.

Simeon was ready, not just to see, but to respond.

Are you ready? Do you live prepared?

During Advent, we ready ourselves not by doing more but by becoming more attentive, more surrendered, and more expectant.

We ready our hearts through:

• repentance that clears space,
• prayer that softens the soil,
• worship that reorients our perspective,
• and acts of kindness that make room for God’s love to breathe through us.

Simeon’s readiness challenges us:

If God fulfilled His promise today, would you and I be awake enough to notice?

The Gift of Simeon’s Story

At the end of his long wait, Simeon holds the Christ child in his arms and prays a prayer of deep peace:

“My eyes have seen Your salvation.”

That is the hope of Advent.
Not that all waiting ends, but that in the midst of it, God comes close enough to see, to hold, and to trust.

Simeon reminds us that those who wait on God never wait in vain.

This Advent, may we remember God’s faithfulness, recognize His presence, and ready our hearts for His coming, again and again and again.

Reflection Questions

1. What is something you remember waiting a long time for? Was it worth the wait?
2. How has your perspective on waiting changed as you’ve grown older?

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

You can now find my articles in The Christian Grandfather Magazine.

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