Think about what it’s actually like to wait for someone you love to come home. Maybe your spouse is on a business trip, or your kid is coming home from college after a long semester. You’re not just waiting. You’re listening for the car in the driveway. You’re glancing at the clock. You’re anticipating the moment the door opens. That’s not passive. That’s leaning forward with your eyes open and your heart ready.
That’s the kind of waiting Simeon had.
Luke says in chapter 2, verse 25 that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Greek word there is prosdechomenos, and it means to await with expectancy, to welcome. Biblical waiting is never just sitting around hoping something good might happen someday. It’s active. It’s watching. It’s living with your eyes open and your heart ready, because you actually believe the promise is real and the One you’re waiting for is coming.
Simeon believed it so completely that when the Spirit nudged him toward the temple that day, he didn’t hesitate. He was already leaning toward the door. And because he was, he was holding the Messiah in his arms before the day was over.
That’s what it looks like to wait with hope.