And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Luke 2:26 (NASB)

Graphic courtesy of Heartlight, Inc.

Have you ever paid attention to the part of the Christmas story in Luke 2, where we read about a believer’s prayer being answered?

Simeon was a righteous man, a faithful prophet. He was an elderly man, who believed in the restoration of Israel through the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit told him he would not die until he had seen the “Lord’s Christ.” He eagerly awaited the arrival of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. He wanted to die knowing the “salvation” of the world had come. He wanted to die in the comfort of that peace.

The Spirit led Simeon to the temple that day, when Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus to be presented to the Lord following the custom of the Law. Wouldn’t you have liked to have seen the look on Simeon’s face? It had to be one of deep thankfulness and joy. His days of waiting were over! Not only did Simeon get to see the Lord’s Christ, but he was able to hold Him in his arms. Luke 2:28-31 (NASB) says, “then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant
to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Joseph and Mary were amazed at all they heard and Simeon blessed them.  They knew Jesus was the Savior of the world, but they had not expected a stranger to know. There was no more waiting… Christ was born!

“O Holy Night”
by
Celtic Woman / Chloe Agnew

What a wonderful, glorious night it was! The angel of the Lord brought the “good news of great joy to all the people.” (Luke 2:10) The Heavens and the glory of the Lord shone brightly, and the shepherds stood watching in awe and wonder. We can indeed rejoice because God’s wonderful “Gift” is here! There is no more waiting. God loved us so much that he gave us the gift of Jesus! Our Savior came to seek and to save, to heal, to give comfort and rest, to bring hope, to be our joy and to give peace. All we need to do is to receive and accept Him, love Him, know Him and trust Him.

He is the reason for the Christmas season.  He is the hope of the world.  Let us celebrate!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:13(NIV)

By His Grace,

Joan

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Welcome to the Learning to Be Content Blog. I'm glad you are here! I'm a child of God who has finally awakened to the awesome power and leading of God in my life. It is my prayer and hope that our articles will offer encouragement, be filled with nuggets of spiritual truth, and will always shine the light on God's Kingdom. Abiding in Christ is the source of true contentment and He loves you! "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Joan

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