What Are You Waiting for before Death
What Are You Waiting for before Death?
As I begin to write, my heart is heavy with the news of the loss in my family back in Nigeria . Yesterday (4/24), my second cousin who is about 25 years, died in a motor cycle accident. He was a young man full of life and smiles most of the times. This is a life short lived in consideration of the circumstances surrounding his death. He had gone drinking and returning ran into a parked car and killed himself. I now compare him to a life long lived for God waiting for the consolation of Israel and all the people of God. What are you and I waiting to accomplish or see happen before we die? Or put another way, what would we like to see happen before we die. One thing is certain and that is we are all going to die the first death. Let us review the lives of Simeon and Anna in Luke chapter 2.
Luke 2: 25-38:
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel , and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel ."
33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel , and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[e] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Let us make the following observations from the text among many others you may have.
1. The vision or what to look for or wait for comes from God. “It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit”. The only thing what waiting for and praying for is that which is from God alone. Are your desires, dreams and aspirations lined up with the Word of God? Some may say, I want to buy a house, car, marry, have children, see my children graduate from college, tour the world and on and on? All of these are good things but is that all we are waiting for?
2. Simeon waited for the “consolation of Israel ”. What does that mean? It means “The comfort the Messiah would bring to his people at his coming”. Basically, it is like waiting for a wrong to be righted. It is waiting for peace to come into a person’s life where there is sin and confusion existing in abundance. It is seeing the salvation of a loved one, a friend or nations where Christ has not been experienced. It is seeing and being part of making disciples of nations (peoples or people groups) to following and obey the teachings of Christ. The things you are waiting for before you die, do they include these?
3. Notice that to accomplish what God has destined for you, your steps must be ordered by God. “Moved by the Spirit” Simeon stepped to his life’s destiny. However, it takes one who is listening to the Word of God and observing the times to be “moved by the Spirit’. You and I cannot accomplish God’s purposes any other different way. The mountains before us can only be moved “not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord”.
4. People and Nations need “revelation” through the light of Jesus. When you bring a lamp to a dark room, then you see what is in the room and then know how to move about the room. Without Christ, we and the world are in darkness. People have knowledge but not revelation and those are two different things. The universities of the world offer us knowledge but revelation comes from God. Let us pray for God to be revealed to our friends and family and nations before we die. That is what waiting for.
5. Notice the widow Anna (which means “gracious”). By my calculation, she had been a widow for about 60 years and was only married for seven years. She was probably about 23 or 24 when widowed. You would think she would only be waiting for another man to be remarried before she dies. That is what most of us would be waiting for and preoccupied with. If I could just get married or remarry, then ….. Please do not get me wrong I am for marriage and remarriage but there is more to life that those. Anna was complete and satisfied in her state as evidenced by her action. “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem ”. Are you giving thanks to God regardless of your circumstances? What are you speaking to people? I hope it is not gossip.
6. Do you think that like Simeon and Anna, what we should be really waiting for is for Jesus’ second coming? Simeon and Anna waited for Jesus’ first coming. What about us? Most times we do not live our lives with constant expectation of the soon return of Jesus. If we were, it would make a difference on how we live.
Jesus caps it all in the first words of Jesus recorded in Luke 2: 48 “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Are you waiting to accomplish the Father’s business before you die? Do you know the Father’s business and your role in His Kingdom building? Let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to show us and lead us to be about our Father’s business. Amen.
PS
My above meditations became real and relevant to me as I faced death this past weekend during a carjacking incident. God delivered me from four teenagers who approached me with something that looked like a gun and took my car and drove off. I called for help and they stopped the car and ran away. Join me to thank and praise God. God spared my life for a reason. Please pray that God will help me answer the above questions and help me live my life for his glory. Amen.
As I begin to write, my heart is heavy with the news of the loss in my family back in Nigeria . Yesterday (4/24), my second cousin who is about 25 years, died in a motor cycle accident. He was a young man full of life and smiles most of the times. This is a life short lived in consideration of the circumstances surrounding his death. He had gone drinking and returning ran into a parked car and killed himself. I now compare him to a life long lived for God waiting for the consolation of Israel and all the people of God. What are you and I waiting to accomplish or see happen before we die? Or put another way, what would we like to see happen before we die. One thing is certain and that is we are all going to die the first death. Let us review the lives of Simeon and Anna in Luke chapter 2.
Luke 2: 25-38:
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel , and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel ."
33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel , and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[e] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Let us make the following observations from the text among many others you may have.
1. The vision or what to look for or wait for comes from God. “It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit”. The only thing what waiting for and praying for is that which is from God alone. Are your desires, dreams and aspirations lined up with the Word of God? Some may say, I want to buy a house, car, marry, have children, see my children graduate from college, tour the world and on and on? All of these are good things but is that all we are waiting for?
2. Simeon waited for the “consolation of Israel ”. What does that mean? It means “The comfort the Messiah would bring to his people at his coming”. Basically, it is like waiting for a wrong to be righted. It is waiting for peace to come into a person’s life where there is sin and confusion existing in abundance. It is seeing the salvation of a loved one, a friend or nations where Christ has not been experienced. It is seeing and being part of making disciples of nations (peoples or people groups) to following and obey the teachings of Christ. The things you are waiting for before you die, do they include these?
3. Notice that to accomplish what God has destined for you, your steps must be ordered by God. “Moved by the Spirit” Simeon stepped to his life’s destiny. However, it takes one who is listening to the Word of God and observing the times to be “moved by the Spirit’. You and I cannot accomplish God’s purposes any other different way. The mountains before us can only be moved “not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord”.
4. People and Nations need “revelation” through the light of Jesus. When you bring a lamp to a dark room, then you see what is in the room and then know how to move about the room. Without Christ, we and the world are in darkness. People have knowledge but not revelation and those are two different things. The universities of the world offer us knowledge but revelation comes from God. Let us pray for God to be revealed to our friends and family and nations before we die. That is what waiting for.
5. Notice the widow Anna (which means “gracious”). By my calculation, she had been a widow for about 60 years and was only married for seven years. She was probably about 23 or 24 when widowed. You would think she would only be waiting for another man to be remarried before she dies. That is what most of us would be waiting for and preoccupied with. If I could just get married or remarry, then ….. Please do not get me wrong I am for marriage and remarriage but there is more to life that those. Anna was complete and satisfied in her state as evidenced by her action. “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem ”. Are you giving thanks to God regardless of your circumstances? What are you speaking to people? I hope it is not gossip.
6. Do you think that like Simeon and Anna, what we should be really waiting for is for Jesus’ second coming? Simeon and Anna waited for Jesus’ first coming. What about us? Most times we do not live our lives with constant expectation of the soon return of Jesus. If we were, it would make a difference on how we live.
Jesus caps it all in the first words of Jesus recorded in Luke 2: 48 “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Are you waiting to accomplish the Father’s business before you die? Do you know the Father’s business and your role in His Kingdom building? Let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to show us and lead us to be about our Father’s business. Amen.
PS
My above meditations became real and relevant to me as I faced death this past weekend during a carjacking incident. God delivered me from four teenagers who approached me with something that looked like a gun and took my car and drove off. I called for help and they stopped the car and ran away. Join me to thank and praise God. God spared my life for a reason. Please pray that God will help me answer the above questions and help me live my life for his glory. Amen.
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