I was re-reading some of my advent devotionals today, and found this one that I thought I would share with you again. I edited it just a bit from the original. I hope it blesses you!
You have likely heard of many of the people surrounding the birth of Jesus in the scriptures: Joseph, Mary, and the wise men. But there is a little-known person surrounding the birth of Christ you may have never known about, the prophetess Anna. You might be thinking, who is Anna? I’ve never heard of her! Exactly.
After Jesus was born, when he was taken to the temple to be presented to the Lord, we meet Anna.
Luke 2:36-38 (NKJV)
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Anna was likely widowed when she was around 21-22 years old. At the point we meet her, she had been a widow for over 60 years. As a widow in the first century, she had no means of providing for herself, and no hope of “success” in life, unless she re-married. For whatever reason, this didn’t happen for Anna. So she decided to live her life completely and solely for the Lord. She was in the temple day and night, and was completely devoted to serving the Lord. A lot of people might have been frustrated with this lot in life, but Anna embraced her role and calling with great devotion and passion. She spent day and night before the Lord, ministering to the people in her role as a prophet.
The scriptures tell us that when Anna met Jesus, she gave thanks to God, and excitedly began to tell others about Him. The last 60 years of Anna’s life had been spent waiting on the Lord. In this moment of meeting the newborn Messiah, she must have felt as if her 60 years of waiting on the Lord had finally come to fruition. The wait had been worth it. This is always true for the believer. The wait is always worth it. Throughout the scriptures we are encouraged to “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14, Lamentations 3:25, Isaiah 30:18, James 5:7-8, Micah 7:7, Psalm 37:34, Psalm 62:5 and many more). Waiting on the Lord is never a waste of time. Anna testifies to this, as does all of scripture.
Our world is in a fallen, broken state right now, and if there has been any doubt, I believe the last year has proven it to us. As believers we are waiting for the second coming of Jesus to set right all of the wrongs in this world. Just as Anna’s wait was worth it, so our wait for Jesus is worth it. He will set all the wrongs right, wipe every tear from our eyes, and it will seem as if everything sad has come untrue. Whatever your current season of “waiting”, whether waiting for resolution of a problem in your life, or fulfillment of a promise of the Lord, your wait is worth it. Your wait is not a waste of time, and your season of waiting and trial is actually working on your behalf (2 Corinthians 4:17). Wait on the Lord, put your hope and trust in Him and His Word, and you will not be let down. He is worth the wait.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.