Simeon

I know what I experienced, I know what I heard, but time has a way of mocking that which we have heard and felt. Sometimes I hear this voice saying to me, "where is the promise of His coming?" Sometimes the questions and the mockery of the promise is so great I cannot answer all the doubts the devil can throw at me, yet in the deepest part of my being, something has been written like as a pen of iron on a tablet of stone, there reverbrates this truth that is stronger than all the lies hell can throw at me, "What He hath promised, He will perform. What He hath promised He will perform!"

As I began my story earlier...

It was just another ordinary day, and I began it in my usual way with my prayers. I prayed for my children, my village, and my nation. I always ended my prayers with the blessing. I would extend my hands in prayer toward the nation and say,

The Lord Bless thee and keep thee,

the Lord make His face to shine upon thee,

and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift His countenance upon you...

And before I could finish, God broke in right as I had said, "the Lord lift His countenance upon you...

I again felt the fire of his presence, and as I was falling on my face before Him, He spoke to me again and said,

"Simeon ben Simeon, go to the temple."

As I remained on my face before the Lord, He spoke the second time:

"Now!"

"Now?" (questioning voice)

"Now" nodding head in the affirmative.

As I rose to my feet I felt like a 20 year old again in my spirit, but my body told me otherwise, so I grabbed my cloak to keep warm as I headed out the door. Seems the older I got, the colder I got, you know what I mean?

Standing in the street in front of my home, I looked over Jerusalem and saw the city as I had never seen it before, I saw it with hope in my heart. And for the last time in my earthly life, I stretched forth my hands towards the city and finished the blessing, I almost shouted as I said it with gusto,

"The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

My pesky neighbor Moshe, the one who always kept me up at night with his loud singing was outside that day, fixing a chair or something. He was surprised by my actions and turned to me and said, "You ok old man?"

"I’m fine, I’m fine, I haven’t felt this good in years.

Then I ran to the temple.

Now, now Simeon Ben Simeon, that’s not exactly what happened.

"You be quiet Anna, you’ll get your turn to tell them your story next."

"As I was saying, I jogged to the temple."

Simeon, tell them exactly what happened.

Picky, picky, picky, just like my wife, Rebecca, God rest her soul, ok woman I’ll tell them exactly how it happened. I did the 2 step shuffle all the way to the temple. Now be quiet woman, while I finish my story.

(I have a one person monologue on this site in the drama section entitled: "Anna’s story," that is a compliment to this drama)

Well anyway I got to the temple all excited.

I walked quickly around its portico and at each man I saw in my heart I cried out to the LORD, "Is this the one, Is this the one." But there was nothing but silence. I saw a tall handsome young man, with fire in his eyes and a smile as wide as Jerusalem itself, I thought to myself, "Surely this is the LORD’s anointed,", I no sooner said the words in my mind when I was reminded of what the LORD had told Samuel when he wrongly thought David’s older brother was to be anointed king, "He is not the one, The Lord does not look on the outside as man does, but the Lord sees the heart."