Simeon shows us that those who wait for the Lord never wait in vain; active, hopeful waiting positions us to see Christ, and when the Spirit opens our eyes to behold Him as the Christ, the Savior, and the Light, we discover that He is the satisfaction of all our deepest longings.

Mary’s song shows that God delights to lift the lowly and confront the self-exalted, and that his mercy is received only with empty hands. She praises God because he has looked on her nothingness, filled the hungry, and scattered the proud—revealing the very shape of the gospel. Our problem is that we choke on this good news, grasping for our own glory instead of receiving it from God. Yet in the incarnation, the Lord of Glory goes down into our lowliness so that he might raise us up. The call is simple: stop striving, stop grasping, come hungry and lowly like Mary, and receive the mercy God loves to give.

Psalm 142 shows us how to pray when life feels like a cave—dark, lonely, and overwhelming. David models biblical lament: turning to God honestly in prayer, naming the real pain we carry, and deliberately choosing to trust God’s character and promises even when our emotions say otherwise. Lament is God’s gift for weary people; it moves us from despair toward confidence that the Lord will deal bountifully with us. As Christ entered the deepest cave on the cross and rose again, we can trust Him with our sorrows, knowing He cares and has the power to redeem every grief.