Simeon & Anna

I'm in the second day of my prayer retreat at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.

This morning God has been talking to me about the process of falling in love with our Savior. Luke 2:21-40 contains the story of two people who loved Jesus with all of their heart even before he was born.

Simeon was so full of the Holy Spirit that God revealed to him many mysteries about the coming Messiah. His prophecies are staggering and ring completely true to this day. But what amazes me is his passion for Jesus. His very life was tied up with his expectancy of Jesus. He didn't care so much whether he lived to see all that Jesus would do, Simeon passion was simple - to just see his face before his death.

Anna, a prophetess, also recognized the Messiah as this 8 day-old infant. She worshipped through ceaseless prayer and frequent fasting and never left the temple day or night. I look around me in this prayer room at many Simeons and Annas - men and women so passionate about Jesus that they recognize his presence, his voice, his face.

The Barnes gave the proclamation to our community that God is calling us to fall in love with our Savior. What is the path to passionate love for the Savior? How does one become like Simeon or Anna? God is calling me to simply spend time in his presence and read the promises of the coming Messiah. We must become desperate with anticipation for the coming Messiah. We must rejoice at the Messiah's birth. We must walk with him in his journey on the Earth. We must stand with him at the cross. We must live, crying out for his return...