Anna's Lifestyle: A Great Example for Today
Anna never left the Temple but worshipped God,
going without food and praying day and night.
[...] spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.
(Luke 02: 37, 38)
Anna was so blessed to meet Jesus, face to face. She was not one of those many people who met Jesus during his time of ministry but was one of those few privileged believers who got to hold Jesus as a baby in their hands. The godly man Simeon and the prophetess Anna are two of such biblical characters who are so special in our readings of the gospels.
The adoration that they showed towards Jesus when he was taken by his parents to be presented at the temple in Jerusalem was so special and unique. Their adoration was not out of what they saw Jesus doing or speaking but was out of what they believed. They could see the visions of faith that they carried in their hearts for decades, now becoming true. They could see, in faith, the promise of 'salvation' in Jesus.
The gospel of Luke wonderfully describes prophetess Anna who encountered baby Jesus when he was taken by Joseph and Mary to be presented at the temple in Jerusalem. And from this description of Anna, we are able to understand the lifestyle of this prophetess who was a widow for eighty-four years. She had been married for seven years and then her husband had died. Anna, a woman of shattered life in the world outside with lost worldly hopes is before us. Especially in this time of lost worldly hopes because of the pandemic, Anna stands as a great example. During this time when our daily routine and months-before plannings have paused and gone beyond our wildest imagination due to the global-lockdown, Anna's lifestyle of faith is so challenging.
Anna never left the temple.
This widow of eighty-four years found her fulfilment in staying indoors. Even though her world outside was shattered and disturbed, she made herself so filled with the goodness of the Lord, that she did not need to leave the temple. God provided for her through these years of widowhood and hopelessness, and she stayed in the Lord's house. I am able to imagine Anna in her early years as a widow. So broken, so lost and so hopeless. Anna would have been thinking that her entire life is gone with the death of her husband, considering the opportunities that were given to women in her society two-thousand years ago. But there was something in her that kept her driving towards the Lord. There was something deep in her heart that kept her moving towards the growth of her faith and the assurance in the Lord. It was her eagerness to be prepared to meet the Messiah.
It is so understandable, considering the present situations, your hopes in the world and the plans you had drawn may seem fading. All that you wanted to do in the world outside may be paused and you are here reading this from your home. Or you maybe even reading this during your short and much-needed break at your workplace if you are part of the essential services, continuously working to save lives without even a chance to say a 'hi' to your family. And all of our schedules have changed together with the view and attitude we had about life. But let us learn from Anna. She took this time as a widow to learn that all that she had to worry about was being at the temple of the Lord. Not like her earlier years, but now Anna's priorities have changed. She had learned the real important things in life over the years and now she is never leaving the temple. Why not we take this time to learn what is important in our lives? Can we spend time in setting our priorities right? If you could remember the age in which we are living and the promised signs by God for the second coming of Jesus, you would know, exactly like Anna, what are the important things in your life.
Anna fasted and prayed.
Another important part of Anna's lifestyle was her fasting and praying. She had not been just idling at the temple of God over the decades but had been hoping and praying for salvation. She had all the reasons to sit in a corner and cry. She had all the possibilities to complain about how unfair life had been to her as a woman. This woman with lost worldly hopes could have just kept herself in a corner, trying to hide away from the world. But we find a difference in her lifestyle. The bible says Anna worshipped God, going without food and praying day and night (Luke 02: 37). Isn't that a great lifestyle of example?
Nobody is assured of when we may get back to normal in the present world situation. And a lot of us are just refreshing the web browsers and changing channels to pick up the latest updates on the pandemic. We are tired of speaking numbers. The more we keep checking the news, the more does this fear in us grow. And, at the same time, our friends in the essential services are working in environments of fear. What are we doing at this time? Indeed, these facts and figures are important as we must know what is going on around us. But beyond all these, let us take this time to grow in our prayer. Let's allocate our time to worship the Lord. Let us stand before Him in prayer asking to build each of us, each of our neighbours, each of our friends and every family mourning with the loss of their loved ones. Moreover, you would have always been so busy over the past few years and months that you were wanting a time to grow in the Lord. Take this time. Worship our Lord in solitude. Fast and pray. I encourage you to learn to seek the Lord and hear His voice. Worship and pray as a family. It is high time that we learn the importance of praying as a family. Grow in the Lord, believing what He has promised. Prepare yourself to His coming. Very soon we are going to witness Jesus as the all-powerful Lord of the world.
Anna spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for salvation.
Anna had a mission to complete. Another important part of her lifestyle was to share the hope she had in the Lord with those who were in search of it. She was thankful to God that He gave her a chance to see the little face of this Messiah who had come to give salvation. The moment she met Jesus, she understood that she had crossed the most important milestone of her life. She had been growing in her faith about this promise over the past many decades and this assurance is seen. Her eyes had witnessed the promised Messiah. Now she could not keep it with her. She wanted to share it. She did not just share it everywhere, but share it with those who were in search of it. Anna did not just say that she was blessed to see the Messiah, but she shared the hope she found in this Messiah with everyone who wanted it.
Nowadays, as believers in the love of Christ, our eyes are witnessing one by one the various signs of this promised hope that we are waiting for. We are waiting for the Lord's salvation in the midst of this chaos in this world. And let us be very careful when we share what we know about the hope that we have. Let us not boast about the assurance we have, instead, show everyone that all are welcome into this assurance. There are people with the need to find hope; in search of someone who will show them the light that will lead them in this darkness. Share with them the love of the Lord. Let them see in your life this fullness and assurance that you find in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us share this love and grace that God has blessed us with so that people receive this love and grace. Let everyone find hope in the midst of this hopelessness.
Anna of today
I pray that the Lord will help each of us to be an 'Anna' in this present world with hopelessness. Let us be strong in the Lord, set our priorities right during these days while we stay indoors, grow in our prayer life as we continue to worship the Lord as a family, and to share the message of hope that we find in the Lord Jesus Christ. May the power of God the Father enable you to grow in a lifestyle that pleases Him, may the grace of Christ Jesus be with you and may the presence of the Holy Spirit guide you in every step further.
May God bless you and keep you safe.
Yours in Christ,
"Lord, I offer my life to You"
