Rise and shine! Today is my first post for Flavors of Favor.....I am so excited! I hope this time encourages you and me to look at how God showed favor to His people throughout the Bible.
Today's individual is a man named Simeon. Now, we do not know much about Simeon's life. Actually, all we will ever know about Simeon is summed up in a couple verses in the the gospel of Luke when Mary and Joseph were taking their first born Son Jesus to be dedicated to Yahweh God. Here is what the verses say:
" And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel." And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."
Luke 2:25-35
Another word or synonym for favor is gift. Do you think that Simeon was happy to get to see Jesus? Wouldn't you have liked to be the one to see the very person who would one day die for you to set you free and give you eternal life? I know I would, and that if God had told me that I would get to see Jesus I would be soooo excited! Do you think that God gave Simeon a gift or "favor"? I believe so. Just imagine Simeon's joy in getting to see the One who would one day set his people free!
If you are reading this post I would like to ask you to stop and pray for a minute. The Bible says,"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16
God will hear you if you come to Him and ask of His will. One way that we know we are praying His will is if He tells us in His Word to pray for it. " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, May peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good." Psalms 122:6-9
Today I am going to ask you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem or all Israel for that matter. I am going to ask you to pray that God will bring healing to their land, bring healing to their hearts and help them to understand and follow Jesus Christ and our Abba Father. Will you join me in praying for His chosen people and God's chosen city?
Thank you so much for joining me today at the Proclaiming Grace Cafe! I hope you have enjoyed your time here and I hope you will come back. If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you! May God show His favor to you today.
In Christ,
Evangela Grace
Great post!
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