The Longing of Simeon

For what do you long?  There are many people who are lonely and long for someone to connect with them.  Some people long for a good meal because they are without what they need.  Others have lost a loved one to death and long to see them again.  These are heart-felt, deep longings.

There are other longings that don’t quite reach that level.  You have probably had a day when you worked so hard and longed for a cool cup of water or a good, full meal.  Or, you may have had a very long day and longed for a nap or a good night of rest.  Regardless what level of longing we have had, we all know what it means to long for something.

There is an account of a man in Scripture who longed for something.  His story is recorded in Luke 2:25-35.  He doesn’t seem to be an especially important man.  There is no indication that he had great standing in the community.  He was not a religious leader.  He was just a man who had a longing.

The text reveals that he was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”  This “waiting” is a word that means, “to await with confidence.”  It is similar to the word “hope.”  There is a mathematical formula that describes and defines hope—Desire + Expectation = Hope.  Simeon desired and expected something; he longed for it.  He longed for the “consolation of Israel.”  This word is also translated, “comfort, encouragement, and exhortation.” 

He had a great reason behind his longing.  “The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Luke 2:26).  It seems likely that he was a faithful man to whom the Spirit appeared because of his faithfulness.  When the time came for the Lord to come, the Spirit led him to the temple for his opportunity to see Him.  He took the child in his arms and proceeded to make known his longing for the child and to give a prophecy about Israel.

There are at least 3 characteristics that reveal his longing—where he was, how he waited, and what he wanted.  These same characteristics accompany our own longing for heaven.  If we long for heaven, we will be present in the spiritual life as we wait.  If we long for heaven, we will wait with assurance and confidence.  If we are longing for heaven, we want to be where heaven is and have what heaven promises.

— Mike Johnson