advent day 12

Light for the Gentiles

Isaiah 42.6, 49.6, Luke 2.32

When the idea, of spending this advent season to investigate Jesus, was born sometime during the summer it was a result of reading through the book of Luke. It tells the story of a man named Simeon, who was waiting for the promised Messiah. The Holy Spirit told him something no-one else knew about and promised that he wouldn't die before he hadn't seen the Messiah.
Now we don't know when he was given that promise or how long he had to wait, but that man was waiting eagerly. It made me realise...
number one. how amazing was that encounter that he was bursting with anticipation no matter how long he had to wait.
number two. that we don't have to wait for the Messiah to come, He's already been here and made a way for us - cheers all around, hooray!
number three. do not give up on the promises God has revealed to you, He will come through. The best is yet to come and we've seen nothing yet :)
If Simeon wouldn't have listened in the first place or just shrugged it off he might have never encountered the Messiah. When he meets him in the temple courts he speaks the most incredible things over him - one of them being that he would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles - leaving his parents amazed. Read the whole account here.
Incredible! So much to learn and immensely grateful to be on this journey.