watchman

Opening Prayer: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 

     If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

     I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 

     O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (Psalm 130:1-8, NIV)

Scripture: Luke 2:21-35

Journal: What does the life of Simeon have to teach you today?  How is God calling you to be more like him?

Reflection: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

I wonder how many times Simeon had prayed the words of this ancient prayer?  I’ll bet he had prayed them often.  I’ll bet they were his constant companion.  After all, he was a watchman who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”  For years and years he had been watching and waiting for God to come near—which is what the Greek word for consolation (paraklēsis) literally means.  And that moment had finally arrived.     

On this particular day, his dreams had come true.  His long “shift” standing on the wall as a watchman of Israel was finally over.  You can hear the joy and the delight and the relief in his voice: “Finally, O Lord, you have come.  Finally, my work is done.  My long shift as a watchman has come to an end.  Now allow me to depart this life in peace, for with my own eyes I have seen the Savior, the One who has come to redeem his people.  For with you, O Lord, there is unfailing love, and with you there is full redemption.  You, yourself, have finally come to redeem Israel of all their sins.  All praise be to you!”

Watching and waiting are so important in the spiritual life.  They keep us sharp and alive and attentive, that is if we don’t grow weary and get discouraged.  Luckily, Simeon did not.  He was paying attention.  He faithfully and diligently kept watch; isn’t that what a watchman is supposed to do?  How else would he be able to recognize—out of the thousands of babies he had seen come and go over the course of his lifetime—the Savior when he finally arrived?  And now he was being rewarded for his efforts.  His entire life had been lived for this one moment in time, and when it came he didn’t miss it.

We could learn a lot from Simeon.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: “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.” (Luke 2:29-32, MSG)