December 14 Devotional – Anna
36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. 38 At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38
Anna (Luke 2:36-38)
Wow! I am so inspired by the life of Anna! Take a moment and consider her life. In a time, where women were expected to go from a father’s house to a husband’s house, a woman’s ability to live depended on if she had a man in her life to support her financially.
Here we have an older woman. She gets married young, but her husband only lives seven years. Most women who were widowed this young would have remarried simply to have a livelihood, but Anna does not.
Devoted to God
She devotes herself to God. She basically lives at the temple, fasting and praying night and day. This reminds me of a great worship song called Worthy of It All. There is a section of the song that says,
“Day and night, night and day, let incense arise.”
In other words, let our prayers to God go up all day and all night. Anna literally did that!
Right Place at the Right Time
Anna’s devotion to God placed her perfectly to witness a pivotal moment in history.
At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:38
“At that very moment”
The “very moment” Luke is referring to here is the scene between Simeon and Jesus. Remember, in Luke 2:21-35, we met Simeon (whom God promised would see the Messiah before he died). Anna is in the temple when Simeon recognizes Jesus, prophesies, and blesses Mary and Joseph.
How does she respond?
When Anna has the honor of seeing the Messiah, the Promised One, how does she respond? The Bible says she begins to thank God.
The response of her heart is gratitude. Immediate and overwhelming gratitude. She uses her voice to thank God for keeping His promise to Israel and allowing her to see the fulfillment of the promise.
Proclaim
And Anna doesn’t stop there! She began to speak about Jesus to all the people who had been looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. She proclaims the arrival of the Promised One. She advertises that redemption has arrived.
December 14 Devotional Action Step:
What is the response of my heart this Christmas season? Am I immediately and overwhelmingly grateful that Jesus cared so much about me? He subjected himself to a painful life on earth and an excruciating death on the cross because of His great love for me! I am not worthy of such a gift, but He gave it anyway!
In addition to gratitude, do I proclaim that redemption has arrived? Am I telling everyone about the Savior of the World?
Today, I will tell someone about Jesus. How about you?
Let’s fill our hearts with gratitude for the coming of the Savior and let that overflow to our voices sharing with others!
Prayer:
Dear God, give me the courage to tell others about Jesus, the dedication to be devoted to You like Anna, and a heart of gratitude for all you have done. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Access to the other posts in this series and the free printables for this December can be found at the Series Overview page. Come join me as I pursue the peace and joy on the Savior’s birth throughout the month of December!