Bible Study Week: Waiting upon the Lord like Anna the Prophetess
Updated: Dec 25, 2023
Hello to all our friends worldwide,
As the year comes close to the finish line we will explore how the Lord speaks to us through His people in the prophetic. This morning, I read about Anna the Prophetess in Luke 2:36-38. In verse 36, we learn that she was from Phanuel's family in the tribe of Asher and lived a long life. Anna was married for seven years before her husband passed away.
I find this part interesting because if she married young, as was custom, she spent many years on her own. For most people the pain of losing someone dear is a hard burden to carry for the rest of ones life. Some people carry that grief to their graves.
Reflecting on the fact that we often see terrible things as the end and not the beginning, I thought about King Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 7:8: "better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." Even though Anna's time with her husband ended sorrowfully, it meant she could fully dedicate herself to worshiping God day and night. Instead of seeing the end, she embraced a new beginning, her prophetic ministry.
In the Bible, we have different kinds of prophets—those whose actions foretold the Messiah's coming, like Jonah, and those who verbally foretold it, like Isaiah. After her husband's death, Anna lived anticipating, worshiping, praying, and fasting for the coming of the great King of the Jews.
In the end, Anna's spiritual awareness led her to recognize God's promise when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple. Her faithful waiting allowed her to be amongst the first to meet baby Jesus. She praised God and talked about Jesus to those waiting for God to free Jerusalem (Luke 2:38).
In the same chapter (vs 25-33), we meet Simeon, a devout man waiting on the Lord, who also saw the prophecy's fulfillment. This affirms that when we patiently wait, we witness the fulfillment of God's promises. Our concept of time may differ from God's, but as we humble ourselves and wait on Him, we will be exalted at the right time (1 Peter 5:6).
May the love and peace of Jesus Christ be with you all.
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