Simeon Dey Wait

One old man wake up for Jerusalem. E pray, as e dey do every morning. And today, deep inside am, e feel one gentle push. Go di temple. Go now.

Jerusalem for di days of King Herod na busy city. Pilgrims dey come, dey go. Traders dey sell dia goods for street. Roman soldiers dey keep watch. And for di centre of everything, di temple stand, where thousands dey come pray. Among all dis people, one man dey wey Luke want make we meet. Luke no tell us im work, or im family, or exactly how old e be. But e tell us wetin matter pass about am. Im name na Simeon. And e dey wait.

Luke describe Simeon with care. E be just and devout. Just mean say e dey live correct with oda people. Devout mean say e take God serious, with heart wey get respect. And e dey wait for di consolation of Israel. Consolation mean comfort. For hundreds of years, na oda nations dey rule God people: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and now Rome. Di prophets don promise say one day God imself go come comfort im people and put tins right. Plenty people don stop to hope. Simeon never stop.

And Luke add one tin wey dey amaze person. Di Holy Spirit dey upon am. And di Holy Spirit don show Simeon say e no go see death before e see di Lord Christ, di Messiah wey di Lord anoint. Imagine to carry promise like dat. Every year wey pass, every grey hair, every pain for im bones, go remind am: e never reach. Christians don usually picture Simeon as old man, and di words wey e talk later for di story show say e ready to die. But still e continue to watch, continue to pray, continue to believe say God go do wetin e talk.

Then di day reach. Luke talk say Simeon come inside di temple by di Spirit. E no just enter by mistake. God lead am go there, for di exact correct time. And for dat same moment, through another gate, one young couple enter with one baby wey be around forty days old, and one cage wey get two small birds. Mary and Joseph dey bring Jesus to do for am wetin di law ask. Out of all di families for di temple courts dat day, Simeon eye rest on dis one. Di waiting don finish.

Di words wey Luke use, di consolation of Israel, come from di prophet Isaiah. Around chapter forty, di book of Isaiah dey talk to God people wey dem don crush and carry go exile. E start with dis words: Comfort, comfort my people, na so una God talk. People like Simeon carry dis old words for dia heart, dey wait for di day wey God comfort go arrive.

You go find Simeon long waiting for Luke chapter two, verse twenty-five reach twenty-seven. One faithful man, one promise from God, and di Spirit gentle push for di correct day. For di next part of di story, Simeon go carry di baby for im hand. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When God promise be like say e dey slow, wetin dey help you to continue to hope and continue to watch?