Simeon, an old man in the temple in Jerusalem, is described as “righteous and devout.” He must also have been one of the most patient human beings ever. He believed that the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die before he’d seen the Messiah. And he held to that conviction year after year after year, growing older and closer to death. How many challenged him, called him delusional? Yet he stayed more open to the Spirit, not less. He allowed his spirit to become so aligned with the Holy Spirit that he could be guided to be just in the right place at exactly the right time.
"Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’
How did Simeon see in this 40-day-old infant the promise he’d been waiting for all his life, and his people for generations going back to Abraham? Luke tells us “the Holy Spirit rested upon him.” Simeon did more than let the Spirit rest – Simeon invited the Spirit to take up residence in him.
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us, given at baptism, but around us always, coming closer at the slightest invitation. We can become more attuned to being guided by the Spirit as we become more aware of his presence in us. Sometimes it feels like coincidences… until we realize that there are an awful lot of them, and seem to accomplish things we might not have known to look for on our own. Or guidance comes through inner nudges that we learn not to ignore.
I knew a woman who felt a very strong urge one day to call an uncle, whom she hadn’t spoken to in over a decade. She ignored the impulse, but it grew stronger, so she called him. It turned out to be his birthday, and he was so grateful and pleased to hear from her. He died not long after that, and before he did they spent some time together.
Another person I knew came to realize that tingles she often felt up and down her spine during certain hymns or parts of worship were the presence of the Holy Spirit… she began to have little conversations when they occurred. Once we’re aware that the Spirit is with us and in us, we learn to trust her to guide us.
Can you remember a time recently – or not – when you’ve felt guided by the Holy Spirit? To talk to someone, write a note, pick something up off the sidewalk? Did you follow the urge? What happened? Give thanks. Remember the feeling.
What ways do you most powerfully experience the Spirit?
In song? Or prayer? Or a feeling that blindsides you in conversation or in an email? Name it. Learn to recognize it. We can always pray, "Come, Holy Spirit... I'm open."
I don’t have the faith of Simeon, but I have the seeds of that faith in me, as do you. As we nurture it, it will grow like his did. Only now, in the past few months, am I starting to live by the God-instinct, to trust that stream of living water flowing around me and through me – to trust its leading. Its timing is always perfect, even if it seems to take a lifetime.
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