Anna

"There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." Luke 2:36-37

I wanted to look up the word prophetess this morning. The definition given in Miriam-Webster is "a woman who is a prophet". That's all well and good, but what is a prophet? The dictionary defines a prophet as "one who utters divinely inspired revelations" and "one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's Will." And "one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight."

Now let's look at the reality of what these verses are saying. It says that she lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow. People married young in those days, so lets just say that Anna was sixteen when married, widowed then around twenty-three, and then lived in the temple, day and night until she was eighty-four years old. That's a long time to worship God day and night! Yet she did, and the mere fact that she was mentioned in the Bible says something about her and her character. She loved God and lived only for him, day and night. That's pretty incredible to think on.

Now obviously, I can't just give up life and turn to a cloistered life like Anna, but I can learn from her example. She worshipped God day and night, yet she had to have tasks to accomplish- even something simple like keeping herself clean and washing her clothes. At the same time, I know the Bible doesn't lie, so what's going on. I can bet you that Anna did her worshipping even as she went about her tasks, and in that same way, I can follow Anna's example. How much concentration do I really need to vacuum? Or like yesterday I spent several hours giving Zander's room a very thorough cleaning. I certainly didn't need to spend much time focusing, just doing. So as I cleaned and sorted and straightened, I spent time with God. I'm sure he doesn't mind me multi-tasking. ;-) I spent time in prayer, I spent some time kind of singing a song or two, I prayed especially for the little boy who's room I was cleaning, that he would sleep well in his room and that nightmares would stay away. I was just in a zone, and then, the phone rang, and there was an urgent prayer request on the other end. And because I was already in that mind frame of prayer and worship, I was able to slide right into interceding for that request. It was an experience all in itself, and a revelation of sorts.

As Anna spent all that time with God, it became easier and easier. And I bet you that people would come into the temple seeking counsel or help, and she would already be in that mind frame, she would already be filled with God's love, that she would share wonderful words of encouragement and guidance with people. And while I wonder what took Anna to the temple in the first place- was it grief over her dead husband? Was she depressed and looking for purpose? The Bible doesn't say, but she clearly found both love and purpose, and she allowed God to use her in whatever way He needed. God rewarded Anna for her years of devotion to him by allowing her to see the baby Jesus and speak about Him.

"Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." Luke 2:38

Anna is a great example for both men and women, and a great reminder that we CAN worship God in all we do and with everything we do-and not just Sunday mornings.