29-32 "Sovereign Lord, as You have PROMISED, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. 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 2:29-32 (NIV)
PROMISE and PREPARATION are a great working pair. Great promise inspires great preparation. And great preparation prompts great promise for the future.
God is a champion at promise and preparation. He's really into making terrific promises and delivering unbeatable preparation. He is the gold standard when it comes to this pair.
When we tap into His promises and carefully note His hand at work, preparing the way, how fulfilled, confident and connected our lives will become!
Here in Luke 2 we discover a man, Simeon, who had clung for a long, long time to the promise of God that he would not see death until he first saw the Messiah. That promise was fulfilled before his very eyes, before he tasted death.
Simeon could see God's preparation for great, universal salvation unfolding, and his heart welled up with great joy and fulfillment.
Reflect: How well acquainted are you with the many promises of God found in His Word? What is a God-given promise you are clinging to? (If you don't have one, ask God to show you one. Go to God's Word and find one that connects to your heart. If you do have one, cling to it like Simeon and wait steadfastly for its fulfillment.)
The one I've been clinging to lately is Isaiah 42:3. What kind of salvation are you longing for?
Like Simeon, is your heart burdened for some godly salvation and rescue? Are you longing for Jesus to show up afresh in you? in others? in your circumstance? in your world?
Before I go, mark this with me ... Here's what happens when we, like Simeon, cling to God's promises and notice His preparations in us and around us:
God's promises SETTLE me. I get grounded and full of hope for the long haul. O, how I need this!
God's promises help me SEE BEYOND SIGHT. What a gift! Through His promises, God gives greater vision.
God prepares in order to SAVE me. He arranges things masterfully so that I will come to the end of myself and accept His salvation.
God prepares in order to STUN me. He wants to wow me, no matter who I am, no matter where I come from, no matter what I formerly believed about Him, others, the world, or even myself. And He wants to wow the whole world like this too!
A prayer to consider: LORD, fill me with Your precious promises. Touch me with Your guiding, preparing hand. Keep putting Jesus before my eyes and His words in my mind and heart. Help me to see You at work in my life and in my world. This is what I long for. Amen.
