Seeing God Beyond Our Expectations

Luke 2:28-32

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.” (NIV)

Jesus was still a newborn when Simeon lifted Him in his hands, declaring Him to be the salvation of the world. The Bible says that God promised Simeon he would not die until he saw the Messiah. But did he expect a baby?

When the Holy Spirit revealed that he would see the Messiah before he died, he might have expected to see the traits and credentials that proved a man was the Messiah. He might have expected to see a powerful, wise warrior. These are what the rest of Israel was waiting for. But Simeon’s expectations, whatever they might have been, did not blind Him to the Spirit’s revelation found in an infant carried by a young and poor couple.

How often do our expectations blind us to the revelations of God? Our challenge is seeing God beyond our expectations.

We see His promises and form images and ideas of how these will manifest. We set our eyes on what our mind has conceived rather than leaving our imagination open to be delighted by God’s limitless ways.

Simeon did not allow his expectations to limit his vision of what God was doing. He resisted the temptation to put God in a box by staying in communion with the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit alive within us that guides us to the right place and the right mindset to see the manifestations of God that no one else can see. Like Simeon, when we are led by the Spirit, our hearts are continuously filled with deep joy. We never miss Him, and we know what He is doing. Our faith increases, and our spirit will rest as we perceive Him even when no one else can.

Prayer: Help me to resist the temptation to limit God to my imagination. Amen.