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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. It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Luke 2:25–26, MEV

Simeon was a man who walked very close to God, praying and fasting for the people of Israel to be freed. For his devotion, God promised him that he would see Christ before he died. Imagine the daily waiting and wondering when the promise would be fulfilled. After blessing Jesus before Joseph and Mary in the temple, we hear his prayer, “Lord, now let your servant go in peace…” These words of hope and promise still resonate in our lives today. We are a people waiting for the return of our Lord, and God calls us to be patient. Sadly, we are not, by nature, patient. It is often hard for us to sit in silence, and we seek distractions in our lives. Few find peace in the quiet moments as terrors of the world or the grief of loss overwhelms. However, God calls us to Himself and desires us to seek comfort in prayer to Him. We need not carry the burdens of the world on our shoulders, and we can lay grief at His feet as we pray. The distractions of this world we may set aside and not let it be of such grave concern. Sadly, we are more often caught in the twenty-four-hour news cycles that spin us around and around, yet our Lord calls us again so we may know His peace and see His hand at work in our broken world, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace….”

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.