Appointed for Many

Luke 2:33-35
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
+ 
Appointed for Many
Simeon’s story was enough to make the young couple take notice – an elderly man assured that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. And Mary and Joseph had already experienced one miraculous event after another. But surely Simeon’s message perplexed them beyond anything they had seen or heard to this point. “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” For “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” (Philippians 2:10).  They could not conceive of what the Lord God had planned for the tiny baby cuddled close to Mary’s heart.
There are times we may not understand what God is doing in our particular circumstances. We may ask why He is taking so long to answer our prayer. We may ask why we can’t understand what is happening in our lives. We may stand in the midst of the chaos of life, perplexed by what is happening around us and even within us. Take comfort, though, in this truth: the same God who perfectly created the universe and the world, who perfectly timed the sending of His Son, is also perfectly at work in your life and in yourself. He pours out His mercy and grace over you. Wait for Him. He will answer.