Great Expectations 殷切期盼
Dexu Xia
She . . . spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:38
On a busy day before Christmas, an aged woman approached the mail counter at my crowded neighborhood post office. Watching her slow pace, the patient postal clerk greeted her, “Well hello, young lady!” His words were friendly, but some might hear them saying that “younger” is better.
The Bible inspires us to see that advanced age can motivate our hope. As the infant Jesus is brought to the temple by Joseph and Mary, to be consecrated (Luke 2:23; see Exodus 13:2, 12), two elderly believers suddenly take center stage.
First, Simeon—who’d been waiting for years to see the Messiah—“took [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations’ ” (Luke 2:28–31).
Then Anna, a “very old” prophet (v. 36), came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph. A widow who’d been married only seven years, she’d lived in the temple to age eighty-four. Never leaving, she “worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” When she saw Jesus, she began praising God, explaining about “the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (vv. 37–38).
These two hopeful servants remind us to never stop waiting on God—no matter our age—with great expectations.
By: Patricia Raybon
What lessons have you learned from elderly believers about God’s faithfulness? How does their hopefulness inspire you?
Dear faithful Father, when I lose hope, remind me to wait expectantly for You.
她⋯⋯将孩子的事对一切盼望耶路撒冷得救赎的人讲说。—路加福音2章38节
在圣诞节之前一个忙碌的日子里，我家附近的邮局人满为患。一位年迈的妇人缓缓走向寄信柜台，柜台服务人员很有耐心地看着她缓慢移步，跟她打招呼：“您好，年轻的女士！”他的话表达善意，但有些人也许觉得话中的含意是“年轻”比较好。
圣经里年迈信徒的榜样却让我们看见了盼望。当约瑟与马利亚带着婴儿耶稣来到圣殿献给主（路加福音2章23节；参阅出埃及记13章2、12节），两位年迈的信徒成为重要的角色。
首先是多年来一直等着要见到弥赛亚的西面，他把耶稣抱在怀里，称颂上帝说：“主啊！如今可以照祢的话，释放仆人安然去世。因为我的眼睛已经看见祢的救恩，就是祢在万民面前所预备的。”（路加福音2章28-31节）
接着是“年纪已经老迈”的女先知亚拿，她在西面跟马利亚、约瑟谈话时进前来。亚拿结婚七年后丈夫就去世了，此后一直守寡，这时已84岁。她“禁食祈求，昼夜事奉上帝”，从不离开圣殿。在看见耶稣时，她开始赞美上帝，“将孩子的事对一切盼望耶路撒冷得救赎的人讲说”（36-38节）。
这两位满怀盼望的仆人提醒我们，无论我们现在几岁，都不要停止殷切期盼等候上帝。作者： 雷翠霞
你如何从年长的信徒身上，看到上帝的信实？
他们对上帝的盼望对你有何启发？
亲爱的天父，祢是信实的，当我失去盼望时，求祢提醒我，仍要殷切期盼等候祢。