I began this year with an invitation to you, my reader. I
wrote,
I encourage you, in 2025, to select someone from the Bible who
models faith in the way you would like to live it. People will say they want to
“grow closer to God in the new year.” That’s too vague. How do you know you’ve
accomplished this goal? I propose that you zero in on a specific person from
scripture, identify the qualities that individual has that you’d like, and then
try to develop those qualities in your life.
I selected as my Biblical role model, Simeon (Luke
2:25-35). Luke tells us this man was “righteous and devout, looking forward to
the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been
revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah.”
Simeon’s spiritual work was to pray, wait, and worship in
the temple’s outer courtyard. He did this every day, believing in his heart
that one day, the Holy Spirit would show him why this was the path God has set
before him. Finally, a young couple came for their baby’s bris and the Holy
Spirit nudged the man.
Simeon came and took baby Jesus from Joseph and Mary. He
held the baby in his arms. He blessed him and said, “Master, you have dismissed
your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” Simeon’s
spiritual work was to wait in faith.
I have tried to live into my role model’s example. I
prayerfully waited to see how generous our members would be in reducing our
mortgage. Our members were faithful and I felt blessed to see it happen. I
prayerfully waited for the Lord to take my father home. His passing was
peaceful. I prayerfully waited as I moved through grief. I am still in that
process, but there is beauty in it. I prayerfully waited to see how God would
make it possible for us to go on church youth trips in July and again in
October. On both occasions, God provided what we needed and do so in ways I did
not anticipate.
I have not perfectly followed Simeon’s example. Many
times, I gave into anxiety, instead of the spiritual discipline of faithful
waiting. My anxiety never once prompted God to act against His schedule, but it
did rob me of sleep for almost an entire week. Yet, when I stepped back and
lived into the truth that God will act and God will bless, and then I waited, I
found that God is true. I am not ready to be “dismissed” as Simeon was.
However, I want to live out what he modeled – faithful waiting.
Who did you choose as your spiritual role model for 2025?
How did it go under that role model’s tutelage? Consider taking up this
practice again in 2026. I’ll begin the year by sharing, in this column, whom I
will try to emulate in 2026. And I will continue to try to practice the
spiritual discipline of faithful waiting.
