Anna the Prophetess

The story of Anna in Luke 2:36-38 reminds us that there were people early in the first century who were waiting for God’s redemption. They had been waiting for a long time. Like Simeon, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25), Anna and others were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). They were waiting for God’s deliverance. Their waiting was more than an issue of time; it was a longing of the heart. They were longing for the Messiah, longing for the incarnation. They were longing for their redeemer.

When you long for something, you see it play out in your life. Perhaps you can remember a time when you longed to be in a relationship with someone and how that longing turned into actions of persistent pursuit of that person. Or you can remember the days of longing to get into that perfect post-secondary program, and how that longing caused you to be engaged in your academic studies like never before.

We certainly can understand how longing for something impacts the actions of our lives.

Anna longed for God’s deliverance and her actions showed it. We see that in her dedication to the Lord. She was a prophetess who was single for a long time (Luke 2:36-37). In her singleness, she dedicated herself to life in the temple. We see her devotion to the Lord over decades of service as she was “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:37). The image of Anna over the decades worshiping God through fasting and prayer might be difficult for you to comprehend. But when you consider how much she was longing in her heart for God’s deliverance, the redemption of Jerusalem, perhaps it is not that hard to imagine her consistent fasting and praying.

Have you ever longed for something that much?

At Christmas, we tend to look back upon the incarnation. Most of us think of the birth of Jesus as a fulfillment of God’s promise in the past tense. However, this story is not just a look back for us. It should also be a look forward full of longing. Anna longed for the first coming of Jesus. In the same way, we should be longing for the fullness of God’s deliverance through the second coming of Jesus. Our longing for the second coming of Jesus should produce desperation and anticipation in our lives, similar to Anna.

This Christmas, may the thanksgiving and the longing of our heart be the arrival of Jesus. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Reflect:

1. Is your longing for the second coming of Jesus impacting you in a way that leads to fasting and praying for the second coming of Jesus?
   
2. Have you ever longed for God to deliver you to the point that it created a persistent desperation and anticipation in your life?
   
3. How does Anna’s response to the news of the Messiah’s arrival encourage you in your time of longing?