We are drawing nearer to Christmas! Only five more days of waiting! Thank you for continuing to share this journey through Advent.
Mary and Joseph were not the only ones who waited eagerly for the arrival of the first Christmas. According to Luke 2, other people were also waiting during this period: Simeon and Anna.
Anna had served daily in the Temple for over sixty years. She was now 84 years old. Never leaving the Temple day or night, she was constantly watching for the coming Messiah. After decades of waiting, imagine her joy when Mary and Joseph walked in holding their son Jesus!
Many people assume that because Anna was old, Simeon was old also because, after seeing the Christ child, he says, “Now I can die in peace for I have seen the Savior.” But Luke is explicit about identifying people who were old. Zechariah and his wife were described as “very old” and Anna is listed with her actual age of 84. But Simeon is not described as old. Nor did he live in the Temple as Anna did, The Spirit led him there on that particular day. For all we know, he had been praying about the Coming Messiah for only a brief time.
But whether the waiting period was short or long, for both of these devout people, when Mary and Joseph arrived, the period was over at last. They saw the fruit of their dreams.
Only God knows how long you may have to wait – short or long – before your prayer is answered. But we have this assurance: He will answer!
