Luke 2:25-32 NASB [25] And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. [27] And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, [28] then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, [29] “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; [30] For my eyes have seen Your salvation, [31] Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, [32] A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
These few verses tell us about an old man named Simeon who had a unique relationship with the Holy Spirit. Let’s take a look at this man and how he related to the Dove. The word “devout” comes from two words; “take hold” and “well.” It means to handle something with great care. Simeon walked in righteousness (he made right choices before God) and treated his relationship with God as something precious that was to be handled with caution and care. The Holy Spirit as the Dove must be handled with care. We have to be intentional about not grieving Him. Another thing we are told about Simeon in verse 25 is that he was looking for Jesus. Here was an old man who was righteous, devout, looking for Jesus, and because of those things, the Holy Spirit was upon him
Verse 26 tells us that at some point in his life, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would die until he saw the Messiah, and verse 27 says that he came into the temple “in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit was upon him, revealed the divine intentions of Heaven to him, and he walked around doing his normal routine “in the Spirit.” That’s pretty cool stuff.
Notice that verse 31 says that Jesus was prepared in the presence of all people. In light of that, shouldn’t everyone have recognized Jesus for who He was? Yet, this old man was the first to recognize Him. Why? When the Spirit is on you, and you are walking in the Spirit, looking for Jesus, you will see things others don’t see.