Waiting for Godot

This past Friday as I was leaving work a thunderstorm arrived as I went out to get on my motorcycle. I rode into the shelter of the parking garage to put on all my rain gear for the ride home. I had already ridden my motorcycle home several times in the rain so I felt prepared. However as I got about 2 miles from work and was crossing an intersection the sky opened up, thunder and lightning was raging and I was pummeled by 35 MPH cross winds which threatened to knock my motorcycle over. The road was soon inundated with about 2 - 4 inches of water. I crawled along at 20 miles an hour seeking a safe place to pull over. After about 300 yards I sought shelter near a farm, that runs a dairy store at one end. I sat on my motorcycle and waited. After the wind died down a little I drove another 3/4 of a mile to a Dunkin Donuts parked my motorcycle and went inside to wait for about another 35 minutes again for an opportunity to continue my ride home. After a while it did slow down to a steady rain and I continued home with the sky eventually clearing for the last 1/2 hour.

Many times in our life we have to wait. If we had foreknowledge and could determine what could be done to avoid it we would never wait. We are impatience, especially in our modern society. There is a very famous play by Samuel Becket called waiting for Godot. The play follows two consecutive days in the lives of a pair of men who divert themselves while they wait expectantly (and, we find, endlessly) for someone named Godot. They claim Godot to be an acquaintance but in fact hardly know him, admitting they wouldn’t recognize him if they saw him. To occupy themselves they eat, sleep, talk, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide - anything “to hold the terrible silence at bay”. There are many possible interpretations of this play, even that Godot is God, though the author denies that was his intent.

During my post this week we are just going to look at a couple of verses from someone waiting, what they are waiting for and how does that person wait.

Luke 2:25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother^[h] marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

First of all who was waiting? All we know that there was a man named Simeon. He was just and devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a sense that this man was old and holding on to life until he could see what he was waiting for. Chances are this man was long since dead by the time Luke investigated and wrote this gospel. Which means that what we know of his character was based on witnesses. It would be a testimony to any of us to be able to be known as just, devout and filled with the Holy Spirit.

What was Simeon waiting for? "The consolation of Israel". He knew that Israel needed a Messiah, and God had revealed to him that the time was near, so near that Simeon would not die before he had seen the "Lord's Christ". Who is the Christ that was revealed to Simeon?

• Jesus the baby born to Mary
• The Consolation of Israel
• God's salvation
• A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles (that's us)
• To bring about the fall and rise of many
• To bring about the revelation of the thoughts of our hearts

There is a real sense here that Simeon waiting patiently all his life. What characterized his waiting that allowed him to wait so patiently, when we find it a challenge to wait a couple of years, months, weeks, days and sometime 1/2 hour. I believe that Simeon knew that the time would come, he trusted God that no matter how long it took, he would fulfill his promises. Plus the end of the waiting would be a event unparalleled in glory and expectation. The arrival of the Lord's Christ.

You might find yourself even now waiting for the evening to pass, for tomorrow to arrive, for a new job, a new home, healing from hurts, for a better life to arrive and even for simple answers to questions that you might have about what God has revealed to us about a savior. My hope, prayer and desire is that this blog may be a means to help you trust in God's promises to bring comfort and patience to your waiting. Please let me know by posting a comment.