God's Promises at Christmas

Luke 2:25-32
Can you say with conviction that you believe in the promises of God? Whenever I ask this question I almost always get "yes" as an answer. But, though people say they trust God to do what he says he will do I don't see them living that way. For example, Philippians 4:19 says, " And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Though this famous verse is a promise of God so many Christians wring their hands with worry I wonder if they actually trust God at all (or at least in this area). It's one thing for a child to say, "I trust you'll catch me if I jump." It's different to actually do it.

God is faithful to keep his promises. His timing is not always to our liking, but faithful he remains. In the Christmas story there is a seldom read portion that bears witness to this truth. I will quote at length from Luke 2 (NIV):

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel (the coming of the Messiah), and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel. (vs 25-32)

 This account does not include when it was that Simeon first received this promise, but we do know it was not fulfilled until very late in life. It appears Simeon thought it was worth the wait.

How about you? Are you having trouble waiting for God to fulfill his promises? Many of them are conditional, meaning we could wait forever and not see them answered because we fail in some way. An example: We wait for God to answer our prayers, but Scripture tells us it is the prayer of the righteous that God promises to hear (Proverbs 15:29).
Let us be like Simeon and maintain faith in the promises of God.