Have you ever had a divine appointment, a chance meeting with someone that you knew had been orchestrated by God? Luke 2:22-35 tells the story of just such an appointment.
Simeon, who the Word says was righteous and devout, had been waiting for many years to see the promised Messiah. Because Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit, it had been revealed to him that, before he died, he would in fact see the Messiah. He wasn’t told exactly when, but he had been promised that it would happen. So Simeon waited.
How difficult that must have been at times. I’m sure it would have been easy for him to wonder if God was truly going to keep that promise. But Simeon continued to live righteously and to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then, one day, the Spirit prompted him to go to the temple courts.
Scripture doesn’t tell us if the Spirit told him why he was to go to the courts that day, but Simeon listened to the Spirit’s prompting and was standing in the courts when a young couple named Joseph and Mary walked in with their baby to have him dedicated. Seeing this little baby, whose name was Jesus, Simeon’s heart leaped for joy. Although he was not told who or what to look for in the temple courts, he knew that this little baby was the Messiah. Through this divine appointment, God’s promise to Simeon was fulfilled.
My prayer today is that I will always allow the Spirit to fill me in the same way that Simeon did, so that I will know when I have a divine appointment.
A Worshiper's Journal 