"There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:36-38 NIV)
Anna was a lady in waiting.
But she was not an attendant to a princess or a queen; she was a prophetess—a mouthpiece—of the High King of heaven.
She had been waiting a long time. Decades. All her life, really.
The NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible says that Anna "recognized and proclaimed [Jesus] as Messiah." The minute Jesus was brought into the temple, she knew He was the one she'd been looking for.
But many other babies would have been brought to the temple to be presented to God, according to Jewish custom: "as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord'" (Luke 2:23).
How was it that Anna recognized the long-expected Jesus the instant she saw Him?
Maybe it was because in the waiting, she worshiped.
While Anna was waiting for God to show up in the flesh, she was pursuing Him in spirit, through prayer and praise.
I often find myself waiting for God to show up in the flesh. To do something. To answer some prayer. To meet some need. To fulfill some earthly desire. He is always with me (Matthew 28:20), but while I am waiting for Him to make a grand entrance in the place where I am, what do I do? Usually, I fret, stew, and worry.
Anna, though, shows me a better way. In waiting and watching for Jesus, if only I will praise and pray, I can be part of the worshiping throng that stands in the gap between Anna—"she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying" (Luke 2:37)—and the four living creatures gathered around the throne: "day and night they never stop saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come'" (Revelation 4:8).
I often find myself waiting for God to show up in the flesh. To do something. To answer some prayer. To meet some need. To fulfill some earthly desire. He is always with me (Matthew 28:20), but while I am waiting for Him to make a grand entrance in the place where I am, what do I do? Usually, I fret, stew, and worry.
Anna, though, shows me a better way. In waiting and watching for Jesus, if only I will praise and pray, I can be part of the worshiping throng that stands in the gap between Anna—"she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying" (Luke 2:37)—and the four living creatures gathered around the throne: "day and night they never stop saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come'" (Revelation 4:8).
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God, let Anna's example remind me to worship in the waiting. While I am looking for you, let me give my praise to You.
God, let Anna's example remind me to worship in the waiting. While I am looking for you, let me give my praise to You.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!