From the story of Simeon and Jesus, we can see that the Spirit guides us to praise. Luke 2: 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God.[1]
The Work of the Spirit
In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon people to enable them to carry out God’s work. Isaiah was a prophet who lived over 700 years before the time of Jesus. He spoke about one who would have the Spirit and then described this Spirit. Isaiah 11: 2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. [2]
We know Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus. Simeon knew these prophesies and was “eagerly waiting for the Messiah.” We don’t have the details, but somehow the Spirit had let him know he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died.
Now the Spirit told Simeon when to go to the Temple and then pointed out baby Jesus as the Messiah. There must have been more than one mother with a baby, but Simeon immediately went to hold the baby Jesus. How was that possible? Later, Jesus Himself provided insight into how the Spirit guides us to truth. John 16: 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.[3]
Praising in Awe of God
We see the Spirit working in all the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph all experienced the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, which gave them revelation. As soon as Zechariah could speak, he sang a song of thanks. Then he praised God for what his son would do. Elizabeth praised God for removing the disgrace of her infertility.
Mary experienced the Holy Spirit as she became pregnant with Jesus. She also sang a song of praise for what God was doing in her. Joseph received dreams with insight into the truth of Mary’s pregnancy. All these people were in awe of what God was doing and would continue to do through Jesus.
Today, we are still in awe of what Jesus has done for us, and the Spirit guides us to praise. Titus 3: 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.[4]
Let us continue to praise God in this Advent season. To find out more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-gifts-of-praise
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.