BE ALERT
01st Oct 2025
Consider Simeon and Anna, both in the right place at the right time. Both saw the Messiah and recognised Him. It would have been easy to see simply a baby, brought by parents to fulfil the law. But these two elderly saints were alert and eager to see what God had promised.
Simeon had been told he would see the Messiah before he died. Luke 2 records, “He was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple at the right time to see Joseph and Mary bring Jesus for dedication. He saw a baby but recognised the Messiah.
Anna was 84 and had dedicated her life to the temple, worshipping day and night, praying, and fasting. She also saw beyond the baby before her and was able to encourage “those looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
There are many scriptures that encourage us to “be alert, awake and ready for action.” In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says, “Be alert and always keep praying for all the Lord’s people, pray also for me…”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples struggled to stay awake. Jesus addresses Peter. “Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” (Matthew 26:40 The Message)
We’re all a bit like that, so let’s be filled with God’s Spirit, alert and watchful, expecting to be guided into action. We need to look beyond our human view and grasp what God is doing.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
