It was a simple step of obedience,
Not the first time though; obedience
Has become his way of life. That way of life
is what ushers the faithful and the patient
Into the promise that once seemed impossible.

This is a continuation of the story of Simeon who was promised that he will not die until he has seen with his eyes, the promise of God’s deliverance not only to Israel but to all mankind (Luke Chapter 2). It is possible he received that promise when he was young and zealously serving God with all he had, full of life and energy. It is possible that at first, day after day, like many of us, he was hopeful that the promise will arrive any moment from now. And like all of us, days grow into months, months into years and years into decades and counting, and the promise is nowhere to be seen.

Like many of us, I am sure he may have been tempted many times to forget this promise. “How are you even sure that it was God who made that promise? Who are you that God should allow you such a privilege? You’re not the most righteous on earth? You’re not perfect. To who else was made such a promise – you’re not better than everybody else? Where did you pick that idea from? It’s been eons ago, maybe it’s time to drop this whole thing and just live a normal life. You’ve spent all your life waiting, when are you going to live? You’ve waited all your useful life, get smart and give it up. Move on to other things, go…, go get a life Sim!”

Some of us reason ourselves out of the promise and give up what appears incredible to men forgetting that God majors in making the impossible possible to those who not only believe at first, but who also persist in their faith until they experience what was promised. I can relate because I have been there too many times and I have wearied myself to the point that whenever God brought reminders of such promises, I’ve had to tell Him to keep it quiet. I didn’t want to hear about it anymore. He was free to do it whenever He wanted to but I didn’t want my hope raised again only to realize it is not yet time. Why does He keep reminding us knowing it is not yet time?

Here’s the answer I learned through my own experience and confirmed in the life of Simeon: God reminds us so He can keep that promise alive in our hearts because that is essential to leading our feet to keep taking steps of obedience, one day at a time, until it brings us before the very promise we have been waiting for. Without those reminders, we will forget. If we forget, we will not be ready when it is time and we are bound to miss something so precious and so crucial to our journey of faith. God knows what He is doing with us and He knows the best time and the best way to keep us alive and active until we are ready to receive and appreciate the promise.

All those years, He led Simeon until that very day when it all came together, in a twinkle of an eye, in that temple. All it took was one look and Simeon knew, “This is it!” That is what happens when we have been made ready for the promise. The very thing that is nothing to everyone else, we take one look at and see beyond presentations. Discerning it for what it truly is: a promise fulfilled. How are you waiting on God concerning the promises He gave you? Are you growing tired of waiting and wanting to give up or will you be like Simeon and continue taking that one step everyday to the Temple in hope? It is not about doing something spectacular; it is rather the same normal steps of obedience that we have learned through the years, that brings us face to face with the very thing we have waited all our lives for. May you not give up on God and on His sure promises because it is taking longer than expected.

Blessings
Glory!