It's Your Choice
As I was reading through Luke chapter 2, I saw a concerning image. It was of a person who realized, by the choices they had made, that they had removed themselves from the place where God told them a promise would be fulfilled. In their moment of realization, panic set in. They began to run, empowered by the fear that they would miss out on God's promise. They arrived at that place emotionally exhausted, realizing how close they had come to not experiencing what God wanted for them.
Being in the Right Place at the Right Time
The image I saw was motivated by the Scripture I was reading, where two people, Simeon and Anna, were present in the Temple when Joseph and Mary arrived and presented Jesus to the Lord.
Simeon was described as a righteous man who was waiting for the Lord to come. "That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there" (Luke 2:27–28 NLT). He was there because He had followed the leading of the Spirit to reposition his life to be present when the Lord arrived.
Something similar happened to Anna, who was described as a widowed old prophet. After the death of her husband, Anna lived her remaining years in the Temple, unmarried, waiting for the Messiah. "She lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer" (Luke 2:37 NLT).
Where We Position Ourselves Matters
The stories of Simeon and Anna reveal the importance of being where God wants us to experience what He has promised. That choice will affect our personal relationships and how and where we choose to live our lives. Some, like Simeon, will journey toward that place. Others, like Anna, will already be there. (Photo via Pixabay)
What is important to understand is that the position of our lives matters, whether we are drawn to that place of promise or we already reside there. If God has promised something, we need to begin moving toward its place of fulfillment or stay put until the Lord makes Himself known.
Run Back to the Place of Promise
The concern I saw on the face of someone who knew they were in the wrong place reminded me of the importance and the concern we should have when we realize we have allowed ourselves to be out of sync with God and His promises. To find ourselves in that place is a terrifying realization.
It is up to us to make the choice to reposition our lives like Simeon did to travel to the Temple, or like Anna did to remain there waiting in faith until the Lord makes Himself known.
The most fearful realization of all is knowing that we abandoned the promise of God and walked away, like the terrified person I saw in the vision. If we made that fateful choice and are now terrified by our decision, we need to run back to the place of promise and wait for the Lord. When we arrive and He makes Himself known, He will forgive our disbelief and reveal to us the lie that caused us to run away prematurely from the fulfillment of His promise.
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Garris Elkins, Author and Prophetic Minister
Prophetic Horizons
Email:Â garriselkins@gmail.com
Website:Â www.garriselkins.com
Garris Elkins and his wife, Jan, are a spiritual father and mother to many, both in the United States and abroad. Garris' ministry, Prophetic Horizons, is a ministry of teaching, writing, and prophecy committed to raising up a prophetic generation to speak to the cultures of our world with the empowered voice of Heaven. Garris and Jan live in southern Oregon.
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