Moved By the Holy Spirit

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him

Luke 2:25

Yesterday, we concluded our five-part series on the stages of knowing God. In discussing the realm of undying devotion, we looked at an old woman who had spent her life interceding for the salvation of her people. To stay focused on that mission, she refused to remarry after the death of her husband.

In that same chapter, we saw another man named Simeon. While we don’t know much about him, we know he was a man of the Spirit. In fact, between Luke 2:25-27, three references were made to his life in light of the Holy Spirit. In verse 26, the scripture says, “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” The first thing Simeon received through the Holy Spirit was a revelation of the Messiah (Jesus). No wonder, when he began to prophesy in verses 30-32, he said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for

revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

There were only very few people in Israel at this time with such a revelation. Simeon knew about the future of Jesus before he was born and, by the Spirit, kept a watch over it. The scribes and religious scholars of his days, at best, only knew that a Messiah was coming. The most they could deduce from reading the scripture is that the Messiah would come to

redeem Israel, probably from her physical enemy. How could Simeon know that the salvation Jesus would bring would be to the Gentiles as well? Clearly, he wasn’t speaking about some physical deliverance!

If you really want to know Jesus, you will have to befriend the Holy Spirit. Only He can teach us about God and reveal Him to us in all His dimensions of glory.

More importantly, the spirit moves us towards Jesus. “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” (Luke 2:27). This man had waited all his life for an encounter with Jesus, and on the day Jesus entered the temple, he was moved by the Spirit to meet him. Spiritual encounters are Spirit-orchestrated. If you truly want to encounter Jesus, then you must wait

upon His Spirit in meditation and prayer. As you do this, your understanding begins to grow in readiness for that moment of his move.

Remember, “…they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”(Isaiah. 40:31). 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, I desire to know you more and experience you. Holy Spirit of God, please rise up in my heart and help me to know God and align my heart towards Him.