A Promise Fulfilled

     Have you ever waited your whole life for God to fulfill His promise to you? That question challenges me. How faithful would I be if I had to wait a lifetime? The question made me ponder my life and the longest I have had to wait to see one of God's promise fulfilled in my life. I have determined that the longest I have waited is just over 24 years. It was very shortly after Bryce was born I learned about the importance of praying for your child's spouse. Actually, it was about the exact time his spouse was being born. When Bryce was playing with friends at seminary, his future spouse's father was dying. I had no idea of course, just that there was a little girl out there that God was growing and molding to be the wife of my son and the mother to my grandchildren. I was just praying that God would help her through whatever her days held. When Bryce was in fourth grade, we moved to Montana, she was now 2300 miles away from him. But in God's perfect timing, we moved back to Oklahoma to the town where she lived. It wasn't long before Brittne was conspiring with her to hook her and her brother up. It worked and soon it started to become apparent that she was possibly the faceless, nameless, little girl that I had prayed for all those years. It was confirmed on March 14, 2009 when she walked down the isle of her grandmother's church and married my son. When I started praying for this baby girl some 24 years ago, God gave me a peace that He would take care of her and she would be the perfect completer to Bryce. He fulfilled that promise beautifully.            
     There were two people who had waited for many long years to see the Messiah. They knew God had promised to send a Savior and they waited expectantly and patiently. The first person was Simeon. He was a good man who had lived in prayerful expectancy for help for Israel. The Holy Spirit had come upon Simeon and told him that he would see the Messiah before he died. Simeon was an old man who had waited a long time to see this promise fulfilled. One day when he was led by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple, Mary and Joseph came into the temple with Jesus to have him circumcised. Immediately, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed him. He proclaimed that God could take him home now because God's promise had been completed. He then went on with his blessing and told Mary and Joseph that this child would endure the pain of a sword. As Simeon was blessing Jesus, an old woman who was a prophetess was in the temple where she fasted and prayed everyday. She immediately broke into singing on how Jesus was the long awaited deliverer of Jerusalem. Both of these people waited and anticipated the day God would bring the Messiah. It wasn't a question of if, or how, but only when.
     Scripture tells us that as followers of Jesus, we should live in expectancy for the return of our Savior. Do we wake up each day, wondering if today will be the day of the fulfillment of the return of Jesus? Or do we let the everyday routine of life lull us to sleep? How long has it been since you thought of His return? We could actually wake up on Christmas morning and see Jesus face to face! What a Christmas that would be! Are you ready? Are you watching? Are you expecting?

Luke 2:25-39