Finding Purpose, Hope and Joy Through Jesus’ BirthSample

Day 6 – Anna’s Purpose

Today, we meet Anna, an 84-year-old prophetess. God wanted us to know about this wonderful woman so He provided us with a bit of information about her life and included her in the account of Jesus’ birth.

There is much we don’t know about Anna. Here’s what we do know:

• Anna served as a prophetess.
• She was 84 years old.
• She became a widow after seven years of marriage and never remarried.
• She spent her time in the temple, worshiping night and day, fasting and praying.
• God gave her special understanding about who Jesus is.
• She spoke about Jesus to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

This passage raises many questions. Did she have children during her seven years of marriage, so many years ago? If so, did her children care for her and help her day-to-day? Did others chide her commitment at the temple or encourage her to continue to serve?

We can imagine Anna years before with her husband, having big dreams as they wed. They may have had their 5-year-plan and their 10-year-plan. They had dreams and ambitions that probably included children and grandchildren and growing old together. But that’s not how the story went. After just seven years of marriage, Anna’s husband died. She may have questioned God, “But what about our plans?” We don’t know when Anna started to serve in the Temple. 

Somewhere during those years, she began to pray and fast, worshiping her God day and night. She chose to give her life to God, rather than wallow in her despair. Perhaps she knew that one day she would have a front row seat to see the Messiah! That day came and she saw a young couple enter the Temple, carrying a baby boy. 

There they are! 

Anna approached them and poured her eyes over the Messiah. The one thing she had waited 84 years for had been accomplished. She doesn’t exclaim, “But He’s just a baby!” It didn’t surprise her that her Messiah appeared as a helpless baby. Instead, she declared her thanks to God and became a witness of what she had seen. She told everyone who would listen! The King has been born!

Do you feel that you have waited years to be used by God? Are you in a season of life where you feel pushed to the side or forgotten? No matter what season of life you are in, God has a purpose for you. You can pray, worship and declare God’s greatness to those around you.