Dec. 20, 2014
Scripture: And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of
Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her
husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till 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 gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were
looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).
Thoughts: Anna, a prophetess, had been waiting for “the consolation of Israel” like Simeon
for a long time. Neither Simeon nor Anna
was particularly important as far as the world was concerned. Neither is depicted as having led a
particularly exciting, successful, or eventful life. Nor are they said to have achieved great
accomplishments or accomplished anything at all. In fact, today many would probably describe
the life of Simeon and Anna as boring and insignificant, especially Anna’s
life, which, having been widowed after only seven years of marriage, revolved
around the temple and consisted of “worshiping
with fasting and prayer night and day.”
Yet she too, like Simeon, lived a life of gratitude (“she gave thanks to God”) and was
privileged not only to see the world’s redemption in Jesus Christ before her
death, but also to bear witness to it as she “spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” God honored the humble, patient, faithful
service of Simeon and Anna’s lives and he honors the humble, patient, faithful
service of all who call upon and bear witness to him today. For thus says the Lord: “those who wait for me shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 49:23).
Prayer: Faithful and Ever-loving
Father, sustain me in the humble, patient, faithful service I seek to render
today and help me to serve you and others with joyful gratitude. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Application: Forget performing a
random act of kindness (especially if it is a matter of mere tokenism or
motivated primarily to make you feel better about yourself) and receive God’s
redemption in Jesus Christ and do your assigned tasks faithfully this day,
however difficult, with humility, patience, and joy, out of gratitude to God.
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