At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:38
As a prophet, Anna was spiritually blessed to speak to people about God regularly. She was also a widow of great age (Luke 2:36). Widowhood in Jesus’ time was extremely difficult. To make a difficult situation more difficult, no mention of offspring leads us to believe that Anna was also childless. Therefore, she likely lived most of her life in poverty and vulnerability, eighty-four years or more! But Anna had a very intimate relationship with God, worshipping him daily. She dedicated almost her entire life to serving God on the temple grounds. “She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers” (2:37).
Readers of Luke’s Gospel are invited to picture Anna walking around the temple routinely because of the nature of her ministry. But the day recorded for us in Luke 2 is no ordinary day. It is no coincidence that she was there “at the very moment” (2:38) to witness the encounter between Simeon and baby Jesus (2:25–35). The timing is impeccable! God’s providential timing!
When Anna saw Jesus, her first reaction was to “give thanks to God” (2:38). For a long time, she had eagerly waited for the Messiah. Certainly, she was grateful and joyful to witness her prayer becoming a reality! This wonderful experience propelled her to tell everyone about the arrival of the Lord: she “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (2:38). God had orchestrated the whole event, and it had blessed Anna beyond any imagination.
As the psalmist declares, “How blessed is the one whom you choose and bring near to you to dwell in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple” (Ps. 65:4). We can expect great blessings when we practice walking with God every day. God uses ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary plan.
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Ps. 27:4).
Lord Jesus, help us to be a blessed people who daily abide in you, walk closely by you, grow in our longing to be with you, and eagerly and patiently wait for you.
Alice Popovich
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, ©The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995. Used by permission.
** The above was taken from Glory to God in the Highest: A Christmas Devotional (Oakville: Proclamation, 2024).
By job title, Alice is the office administrator at Oakridge. But her behind-the-scenes efforts go far beyond that! She is actively involved in the leadership team for the Tuesday evening women's bible study, she is on the mission committee, and she has recently both stepped into the leadership of church bridal and baby shower celebrations, and started teaching in our Ozone kids program. Oh, and if you see any special seasonal or holiday decorations around the church, it's a safe bet that Alice was involved!