............................................
Hold Tightly
To All God Has Promised You
God’s Biggest Promises
Take Time
J. Lee Grady
Most
Christmas movies or pageants focus on the principal characters of the nativity
story—the innocent Mary, the bewildered Joseph, the awestruck shepherds and a
sleeping baby Jesus.
Then
we throw in the non-biblical extras, like the cartoon donkey named Bo in the
new movie The Star, which tells the story of Jesus' birth from the
animals' point of view.
But
I've yet to see a play or a film of the Christmas story that focuses on Simeon
and Anna, the two Jewish intercessors who prophesied over Jesus a few days
after His birth.
That's
the movie I want to see.
This
Christmas I'm thinking more about Simeon and Anna - not because I've reached
their age bracket but because Christmas is not really a story about mangers,
donkeys and angels.
Ultimately
it is a story about how God fulfills His promises - even when those promised
answers take a long time.
While
most of Israel was clueless about God's plan of salvation and angry about the
Roman occupation of Jerusalem, Simeon knew Jesus was coming - and the Holy Spirit
told him he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah.
When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple
to be dedicated, Simeon took the boy in his arms and declared that He was
the "light for revelation
to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).
Then
Anna walked into the scene. An 84-year-old widow, she had been praying and
fasting continually in the temple, asking God to send the Savior.
She
had sought God for years for the promised Savior.
I am
sure she was weary of waiting. Yet, like Simeon, she immediately recognized
Jesus as the answer to her prayers and began telling everyone that their long
wait was over.
Luke 2:38 says that when Anna saw the baby, "she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all
those who looked for the redemption of Israel."
It was
a scene of jubilation.
I
imagine both Simeon and Anna held their hands in the air and perhaps even
shouted as they welcomed the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.
But
what we don't see in this happy scene are the decades of painful groaning that
these old saints endured.
The
joyful moment of Jesus' birth did not come without a price.
God's
promises, like the birth of children, require a gestation period—an agonizing
season of waiting.
Most
people in the Bible who claimed big promises did not get instant, microwave
answers.
Like
the childless Hannah, the heirless Abraham or the imprisoned apostle Paul, they
travailed. And waited. And travailed some more.
In the
animal kingdom, big creatures often have the longest gestation periods.
A baby
whale grows in his mother's womb for 18 months, and a baby giraffe waits 15
months.
Some
species of elephants are pregnant for two years.
That
tells me if I am carrying a big promise, I should be prepared to wait.
I
should understand this uncomfortable process, since I watched my wife give
birth to all four of our children.
How
quickly we forget that prayer is often compared with childbirth in the Bible.
And in
this tedious process, we must press through the darkness of doubt and lay hold
of God's sure promise, especially when we feel like giving up.
Many
of us right now are at the most intense stage of the birth process—the
transition phase, in which a pregnant woman feels confused, irritable and
restless.
We
endure similar feelings of desperation in our walk of faith.
We ask
ourselves, Did God really promise me that? Everything inside
us wants to quit believing.
I am
sure Simeon and Anna considered quitting during their years of prayer.
The
headlines in Jerusalem were depressing. The economy was awful. The political
situation was demoralizing.
Yet
these two faithful prayer warriors didn't go into retirement. They found the
grace to press on.
Though
their hands grew feeble, their faith grew strong. They felt barren, but they
shouted anyway.
Perhaps they read the promise of Isaiah 62:1: "For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and
for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest until her righteousness goes
forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns."
They
did not let the flame of prayer go out. They persevered.
And
finally, their groaning paid off - and they had something to shout about.
They
not only witnessed the Christmas miracle; they also got to hold the baby Jesus
in their arms.
This
Christmas, I pray the faith of Simeon and Anna will inspire you to hold tightly
to all God has promised you.
The
promise came from Him. He is working quietly behind the scenes.
Don't
stop believing.
J. Lee Grady was
editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into
full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai
Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing
of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of
several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just
released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can
follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website,themordecaiproject.org.
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