Waiting Well

Have you ever wondered if God hears or sees your suffering? Our story for this week begins with a man by the name of Simeon. According to the text, he was a righteous and devout man who was waiting to see the promised "Consolation of Israel" ( a common term at the time referring to the Jewish Messiah). Not too much more is known about this man, but his name alone might speak powerfully to us during this season of Advent. 

Go back with me to Genesis 29 and we read of another man by the name of Simeon. His mother was Leah, the sister of Rachel and the "other" wife of Jacob. And after giving birth to a son, in light of her recognizing that she wasn't the "preferred wife" of Jacob, Leah named her son Simeon and said, "Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." (Genesis 29:33) Simeon is derived from the Hebrew word "shema", which means "to hear." We see this word used in the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

God heard Leah's pain and blessed her with another son. God saw Simeon's faithfulness and righteousness and heard his suffering as he waited to see the consolation of Israel in his lifetime. And let me assure you, despite the enemy’s tactics to leave you in hopelessness and despair, God hears, and sees, your suffering. God is attentive to all that you must endure in this life, and trust that He is personally invested in moving on your behalf.

The Advent season is all about waiting. For the Christian, we see the first advent of Christ as the reason behind our patient waiting for his second advent. And so throughout this Advent season, let’s be intentional with our pursuit of and devotion to Christ, while remaining mindful that we have an enemy who would love to steal our hope and joy and cause us to despair like the rest of the world. Remember, God has heard your suffering, and proved that he cared through the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and exaltation of Christ Jesus.