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December 19

Title: Anna, the godly prophetess

Text: Luke 2:36-38

Anna is one of the rarest humans. She is a prophetess. There were only 9 prophetesses in all of the Bible. We don’t have any of her prophecies. We don’t know very much about her. She was only married for seven years. The rest of her life she was in the temple, living as a widow. But what we do know is that she—like Simeon, was intensely waiting for the Messiah. Luke tells us about it (see below). 

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)

What was it like for Simeon and Anna? Two people who seemingly spend most of their lives waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. How sweet was it when they got to see the Messiah! Touch Him. Hold Him. Pray over Him. The joy they must have had—knowing they were looking at the chosen One, the Messiah of the world. 

And yet, it is uniikely Anna (like Simeon) ever saw the ministry of Jesus. She prayed her whole life, but never saw the blind see and the lame walk. She never saw Jesus die on a cross. She never saw Jesus rise from the dead. But she knew He arrived and then proceeded to go and tell everyone about it. Pretty simple life recipe. Worship. Fast. Pray. Tell people about Jesus. 

The fact is—as New Covenant believers we have certain advantages. The Holy Spirit indwells us. God’s revelation is complete and sufficient—and we have it at our fingertips. There is no more progressive revelation, so we know what happens in the end. And yet, every Christian IS and SHOULD BE like Anna. Every Christian should make private and public worship a priority. Every Christian should make fasting a priority. Every Christian waits in expectation for the coming of the Messiah. For us, it is His second coming. But we still wait. Finally, we should all be telling others about Jesus. Especially this time of year. 6 days till Christmas.