SPIRITUALLY ALIVE?
02nd Apr 2025
I have just been reading Luke chapter 2, and have been very challenged by the description of Simeon & Anna.
Mary and Joseph have brought Jesus, eight days old, to the temple to perform rituals that Moses had prescribed, offering their first born to serve the Lord.
Simeon, an old man, described as, “righteous and devout, he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, (the comfort that the Messiah would bring) and the Holy Spirit was on him.” “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Luke 2:25-26)
Simeon was going to see the Messiah before he died. “Moved by the Holy Spirit, he went into the temple courts.” His arrival coincided with Jesus’ parents bringing their child for dedication. Simeon immediately recognised Jesus and began to prophesy over Him, blessing Him and also Joseph and Mary.
Anna, another elderly person breaks into praise as she prophesies over Jesus. Anna is described as one who, “Never left the temple but worshipped day and night, fasting and praying.” Both were sensitive to the Holy Spirit, they were in the right place at the right time, alert to what the Spirit was showing them.
Both Simeon and Anna were spiritually alive, waiting for God to fulfil promises He had made to them, living disciplined lives, actively seeking to be near God, and to hear His voice.
It’s so easy to settle for less than God’s best, but these two were believing for more. I am challenged. I pray God will keep us hungry for Him, listening to his voice on a daily basis, believing for all He has promised us, and living lives that could be described in the same terms as those describing Simeon and Anna -
“Righteous, living in prayerful expectancy, led by the Spirit, praying prophetically and worshipping day and night."
by Joyce Sibthorpe
