Still Waiting, Still Watching

When we think of the Christmas story, our hearts naturally go to Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels, and the wise men following a star. But tucked quietly into the story—just days after Jesus’ birth—are two faithful souls who hardly ever get the spotlight: Simeon and Anna.

They didn’t travel from faraway lands. They didn’t see angels in the sky. They didn’t bring precious gifts. What they brought instead was something just as powerful—a lifetime of faith, worship, and waiting.

The Bible tells us Simeon was a man who was “righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel” and that the Holy Spirit had promised him he would not die before he saw the Messiah (Luke 2:25–26). Can you imagine carrying a promise like that for years? Every wrinkle, every ache in his bones, every sunrise—still believing, “Maybe today.”

And then there was Anna. A widow. elderly. Living at the temple. The Bible says she worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer (Luke 2:37). In today’s world, we might say she basically lived at church. If there had been a sign-in book at the temple, her name would have filled half the pages. She didn’t grow bitter with loneliness or age—she grew faithful.

When Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus into the temple, it wasn’t the religious leaders or celebrities of the day who recognized Him. It was two elderly believers who had learned how to wait well.

Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying he could now die in peace because his eyes had seen the Savior. Anna immediately began telling everyone who would listen that the Redeemer had finally come. All those years of praying, fasting, hoping, trusting—they were not wasted.

I often wonder what Simeon and Anna would look like if they lived in today’s world. Would they be the quiet saints sitting faithfully in the same pew every Sunday? The prayer warriors no one notices? The ones still believing when others have grown cynical?

We live in a world that wants everything fast—fast food, fast internet, fast delivery, fast answers. Waiting is not our specialty. Yet Simeon and Anna remind us that God often does His greatest work while we wait.

They waited by faith.
They worshiped without proof.
They believed without seeing.

And that sounds a lot like what we’re called to do today as we await not Christ’s first coming—but His second.

The truth is, it’s hard for people to believe what they can’t see. We want evidence. We want guarantees. We want God to show us the ending before we commit to the story. But the Bible gently reminds us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Simeon and Anna pleased God not because they were loud, famous, or flashy—but because they were faithful.

And here’s the gentle humor in all of this: if God trusted the greatest announcement in human history to two elderly temple regulars, then surely He can use ordinary people like us—wrinkles, doubts, and all.

This Christmas, their story invites us to ask:

• Are we still watching?
• Are we still worshiping while we wait?
• Are we still believing when God’s promises feel delayed?

May we be found faithful—eyes lifted, hearts full, still expecting Jesus to move.

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the example of Simeon and Anna—two faithful souls who waited patiently and believed wholeheartedly. Teach us how to worship while we wait, how to trust when we cannot see, and how to remain faithful in a fast and faithless world. Strengthen our belief in Your promises and renew our hope in the return of our Savior. As we celebrate Jesus’ first coming this Christmas, help us also live in expectation of His second. And when You fulfill Your promises in our lives, may our hearts recognize You immediately, just as theirs did.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen.