Hope is a Hard Habit to Break

Scripture: Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Luke 2:25

Observation: All I know about Simeon is one thing: He was holding on to hope. The only thing on his “bucket list” was to see the comfort of his people by the arrival of the Messiah. And at the end of his life, as he was ready to depart this world, he got to hold the hope of the world in his hands.
Hope is a hard habit to break, when you have been waiting for years. Simeon knew that God’s promise was going to happen. He knew it to the core of his brittle bones. This drove him to get up every morning, to be devout, to be righteous, to come to the temple day after day.

Application: What am I holding out hope for? What promise or truth is always before me? One major hope is the second coming of Christ. I know he is coming back. He will return. I do not know when, or even if my eyes will see his salvation in my lifetime. But he is coming back. So what does this hope hold for me? How am I devout and righteous, full of the Spirit? Does this promise motivate me to be a man like Simeon, waiting on the Lord?

Prayer: God, today I want to think about your return. Develop in me a longing and a hope for your return. Let me become a man of expectant hope, like Simeon. Help me to hold on..

For I Know

Scripture: “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:23-25

Observation: Job longs to know that if he is to die, his words would not die with him. That he would be able to leave a legacy, either on paper or on rock. That somewhere, his words would remain, to guide and instruct others. Specifically, what he wants his words to do is to stand as a witness to future peoples. A witness that even amidst pain and suffering, and the face of death, Job stands on the conviction that his redeemer lives and will stand upon the earth.

Application: Yesterday I talked with a friend who was in a great deal of pain. The pain is so great that his temptation is to focus only on himself and his pain. Yet in the midst of it, another friend encouraged him to lift his eyes and believe that God is good and has a plan for his life, even through this. In essence, he was calling him to faith that his redeemer lives and in the end, God will win out. These are hard words and I am not sure how they were received. Yet Job, who is going through the greatest loss, is somehow able to say, “I just want people to remember I did not give up on God—He is my Redeemer and I know he will stand on the Earth in the end.”

Prayer: Pray for my friend today that he would not give up and close his eyes, but open them and see the light that is breaking through into his life. The light of God. God is not done yet and will be his redeemer if he can only trust and not give up.

I Can't Get No....

Scripture: Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Luke 6:21

Observation: Those who are hungry now—physically and spiritually—are blessed because God will satisfy them later. Maybe later in life or ultimately in the kingdom.

Application: Jessica and I spent a day hungry yesterday, and did not realize it until we talked late last night. Hungry for something we are longing for God to do. Hungry because our needs outweigh our haves. With our needs, we agreed God could provide and that our hunger is due in part to choices we have made to try to honor Him with our finances. But we still are hungry. In the other area, the jury is still out. I still don’t see His satisfaction on the horizon. But if I am hungering for the right thing, I have to hold out hope God will keep his word and satisfy me.

Prayer: God, help us hunger for the right things. Increase our hunger for you and your kingdom. Fill us with the hope of satisfaction.