Anna

Luke 2:36-38

"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 worshipped 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."

I have read the gospel of Luke several times and it is only in recent months I have discovered, tucked away in the second chapter, the story of a rather insignificant woman named Anna. You can easily miss her, however with careful reading, her life inspires us to pause and ponder.

Anna was a widow, she had only been married seven years before her husband passed. In the times that she lived, this would mean poverty and insignificance without the protection of a husband. However, Anna was identified as a prophetess and she spent her life dedicated to the temple and was devoted to worship and fasting and prayer, day and night. She was committed to spending her life with knowing God and serving Him.

When Jesus was brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph, Anna recognises Him as the promised Messiah, she was among the first to learn the truth; after all these years, the Redeemer had come and the prophecies were being fulfilled. She praised God and excitedly shares the news of Jesus' arrival with others.

The world at the time of Jesus would have considered her a nobody, she was female and a widow. However, God saw her dedication to Him and delighted in her worship, and He truly listened to her cries from the heart.

What can we learn from the Prophetess Anna?

Well, we can be assured that God uses seemingly insignificant people. We ourselves may feel insignificant, wondering if God can and will use us, but God does see us. He hears us. He understands the longing of our souls, and He will use us if we allow Him to do so.

We see in Anna, a life lived in worship and prayer but as a result of that, she immediately recognises Jesus when He enters the temple, she recognises Him as the One sent to redeem.

A life lived in worship and prayer is never wasted. God sees us worshipping and crying out to Him. He sees the times we pray in the night, He hears the whispers of our hearts when we are unsure how to pray. None of it is lost on Him, He sees and hears us, even if we perceive our prayers are not answered. He will open our ears so that we can hear His voice, and we can know how much He loves us.

Anna was an 84 years old widow, yet God used her to spread the story about Him. We see this so often in the Bible, age is not an indicator of how and when God might use us.

If you are reading this and you are young, resolve to follow Him wholeheartedly, make it your goal to live a life of prayer and worship, like Anna. If you are mature in years, do you know what, God is not done with you yet! Keep worshipping and praying, because God has you on earth for a reason.

Although the story of Anna is just 3 verses long, it contains life lessons.

Let the story of Anna encourage us this week, and remember that:

• God uses insignificant people.

• A life of prayer and worship will help us recognise when God is at work.

• Finally, if we are mature in years, this does not disqualify us from serving our Heavenly Father.

God bless