A Widow See's Jesus
(9) Anna teaches us to be wise (Luke 2:36-38)
Dear Reader,
May “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’” (Numbers 6:24-26).
Wisdom & Time
Time, perspective, and suffering are all necessary for learning some life lessons. Near the conclusion of his life, Moses penned this request in Psalm 90: "Teach each of us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12. At a family members memorial service years ago, I read this scripture, my family member was a statistician by profession and understood that, like everyone else God had numbered his days. "Your eyes saw my unformed body; before one of the days that were predetermined for me materialized, they were all recorded in your book” - Psalm 139:16. The early chapters of Luke's Gospel appear to be sensitive to the elderly; we have the account of elderly saints of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna.
“Widows without friends, the fatherless without protectors— these are the care of God” - Charles Spurgeon.
Anna draws near to Jesus
“36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 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 2:36-38.
The name Anna means, grace. She was the daughter of Penuel whose name means “face of God”. She was from the tribe of Asher which means, ‘blessed’. Luke reveals Anna is an aged widow, which we know the scriptures state God has a heart for the hurting and the lonely, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing” - Deuteronomy 10:18.
Anna’s Example of Faith:
Example of a Truthful Witness. Anna offers and example, she speaks truth (a prophet or prophetess in some versions). “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,” - Ephesians 4:15. In our day and age, it is rare for our culture to speak truth on many issues, deception is a cultural battle and spiritual warfare.
Example of Service. Anna spends her days and years serving and loving God.
Example of Faithful in Prayer. Anna is a prayer warrior. How precious our the prayers of God’s people and the prayer of the widow will not be denied.
Example of Training for the Race of Faith. Anna practices spiritual discipline.
Anna is blessed by grace to see the face of God in laying eyes on baby Jesus. Many people were blinded by unbelief and Anna had the unique blessing of seeing God’s face in seeing baby Jesus.
For some Substacks with a focus on Prayer and Faith see these:
“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.” - Mother Teresa
What lessons in life have taken time to learn for you? Lessons about relationships, money, faith, perspective?
What wisdom of aged saints offered to you that has stood out? What warnings about life have been passed down to you from previous generations?
How can we use our time wisely?
What examples from the Anna’s story stands out to you?
Very good Paul.
I was in a men's Bible study when I was 30...there were three other guys my age, but also 3 in their 60s, 2 in their 70s and one who was 85. What blessed me the most was the example of the older men. They had a vibrant faith, knew the scriptures, and were actively serving in and outside the church. It was during this period that I first discovered Psalm 90, which really resonated with me given my exposure to the older men at church; I eventually did a lesson on Psalm 90 with the "young married" Sunday school class. I love the verse you shared, especially that it is bookended by 2 other passages, Ps 90:10, "The years of our life are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength four score, yet their span is but toil and trouble ("Life is hard, then you die..."); they are soon gone; and Ps 90:14, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Now that I'm in my 60s, I am cherishing the faithful example of the men that "went before me."