READING: Deuteronomy 18-21; Luke 2:8-35
As a pastor, I’ve been with believers when their elderly loved ones were not only ready to be with the Lord, but they also wanted to be there. Thiers was not a death wish, though; it was instead a genuine desire to be with the Lord who had saved them. They’d run their race. They were ready to lay down this earthly body. Though they didn’t want to leave their loved ones, their hope of reunion in the future buoyed them on. And, as a pastor, I almost looked forward to officiating at their funerals. After all, they truly were celebrations of life.
That’s the sense I get when I read Simeon’s words today. The Holy Spirit had told him that he would not die before he had seen the “Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:26). That word surely gave him hope, too—and then he saw the Christ child in the temple. All was settled then, and he could say as he praised God, “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30). What a way to come to the end of your life!
We get there by making sure we live faithfully today . . . and tomorrow . . . and each day that God gives us. Serve Him well today.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for allowing us to know Your Son and be Your children. Help me to live faithfully and die well at the appropriate time.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Deuteronomy 22-24; Luke 2:36-52