Liezl_Nieuwoudt

What place do praise and thanksgiving have in Simeon's and Anna's lives? That was the first thing they ever did ... What does this say about them? They realised that they were dependant on the only living God, in His care and couldn't be or recieve anything if it was't for (from) Him. They probably also learned to have joy in all circumstances. (I'm reminded of Phil 4:4) How do we nurture these in our lives? It's a decision ... it's a filling our ears and minds with Godly things ... it's to draw aside and seek God's perspective when we face difficult times ... it's actively praysing Him always & everywhere!!! Why does our culture see long periods spent in prayer as wasted? We are doers ... we don't want to wait ... we want to see results (answers) yesterday. The church (in general) has for a long time prayed selfish prayers and not prayed in Spirit and truth and therefore not according to God's will and have seen little of these answered in ways that they expected. So why bother? They have not experienced praying on the Father's lap yet ... in His presence We don't lead prayerful lives - we don't know what it means ... aren't continuously in His presense and in conversation with our Friend as it should be. How did Anna see it? This was her calling ... this was her purpose for existing (as it should be ours)! ALL praise and honour and glory and strength be to our God!

What did Simeon's and Anna's righteousness, devotion, and praise have to do with their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice? Righteousness ... to be honest to yourself and to God expells darkness and wickedness (the antynom of righteousness). In the absence of wickedness evil can't get any stronghold and perhaps therefore Simeon and Anna could hear the Holy Spirit's voice in their hearts. Being deaf to evil makes one to hear the Righteous one? Devotion ... where your heart is your treasure will be. In devoting so much of themselves to God, they probably seeked to know how they could be more for their King - God promises to share his plans with us if we ask for His will and this clearly happened to Simeon (and Anna)! Praise ... God inhabits the praises of his people! Where there is praise in Spirit and in truth, God is. I think they were "tuned in" - they wanted to hear, they loved God with all their heart, mind, strength, they obeyed, they praised Him! Spending time in His presence gives Him the opportunity to reveal Himself! What are some of the reasons that we can't hear God? We refuse to believe God - we hear but we don't believe that we hear. That is certainly true for me ... I am so busy trying to be humble that it is totally perverted and I don't give God the chance to finish His message. "No God, it can't be for me ... I'm not worth it ... blah blah blah ..." (We are subborn!) We don't spend enough time praising (real praise!) Him ... we don't enter the holy of holies; we get stuck in the outer court with our own agendas and don't push through the torn curtain (Jesus) to spend time in God's cloud (His presence). We get up and leave too soon!!! We aren't really righteous ... we compromise, we sin, we incline our ears towards the wrong source! We are unaware of our real identity in Christ. We forget that Christ is already living IN us through the Holy Spirit - we want somthing from outside to happen and it's already on the INside! There is also little devotion ... too busy with self (and self created idols) to submit everything to Him and serve Him in and through EVERYTHING we have, is, say, do ... May we learn from Simeon and Anna and be sensitive to the Holy Spririt ALREADY dwelling within us!!!