Devoted: 6 Days With Women in the BibleSample

Anna: A Worshipful Heart

By: Julia B. Higgins

Today we are going to consider Anna, and her story is found in Luke 2.

Joseph and Mary had come to the temple to obey the law, which required that a firstborn son be dedicated to the Lord and that atonement be made for a woman’s uncleanness after having a baby (Luke 2:22-24). Following Jesus’s dedication to the Lord, Luke introduces us to an eyewitness named Simeon, who uttered prophesies about Jesus in verses 25-35. Then, in verses 36-38, we meet Anna, another eyewitness at the temple. Notice Anna’s devotion to God as a widow, in her worship, and through her witness.

Lots of pictures of Anna are found in verse 36. She is described as a prophetess, and her father’s name and her tribe are provided. Yet none of those descriptors hit the heart like the one found in verses 36-37. Anna’s husband died after seven short years of marriage, and then she lived the rest of her life on earth as a widow. Living as a widow during the first century meant a woman might find herself in poverty, yet a quick online search for the word widow in the Old Testament reminds us of God’s care for widows.

Verse 37 implies Anna spent her days in the court of women of the Jewish temple, praying and fasting faithfully. Anna sought God intently as He was at work in preparing His people.

The story of Anna culminates in a proclamation about the Lord Jesus Christ. Earlier, in verse 36, Anna was introduced as a “prophetess.” Having been at the temple day and night waiting for the coming Messiah, she heard Simeon’s prayer and his words to Joseph and Mary concerning Jesus in verses 29-34. Anna’s response was to bless God in thanksgiving (v. 38). In this moment, Anna was prophesying. We have to wonder how many people heard Anna as she connected Jesus to the longing for redemption expressed in verse 38. The prayers and hopes of Israel were answered in the baby born in Bethlehem, now being presented at the temple.

After the unexpected circumstances of life, Anna was an expectant worshiper of God who earnestly witnessed about Jesus—the One who would offer His life, not just for Israel but for all.

Read Luke 2:21-38 for the context of Anna’s story, then focus on verses 36-38.