Worship from Hope
Anna, yet another unlikely character in the birth story of Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Son of God. Her account in scripture is short, but full of information. Considering how few people have any of their story recorded by name in scripture, we should not take it lightly any time a name is mentioned, because God thought their name worth remembering and their story worth retelling.
Anna’s story begins with a look back at the long life she has already lived. As a young woman, she was married and had the hope of all that lay before her in life. Childbearing for a Jewish woman at the time of the New Testament was one of the greatest honors and marks of God’s blessing on your life. I’m sure Anna entered into her marriage with dreams of becoming a mother and raising and loving her children, all while her husband provided for her and the family while leading them in the Lord.
Whatever her plans may have been, this is not what came to be for Anna. Seven years after marrying her husband, he passed away. Though we have no details of his passing, we can empathize with her loss. Many of us have endured sudden, life-altering, and tragic loss. Unfortunately, this experience is far too common for mankind. Though loss is a common experience, Anna’s response to her loss is far less common.
Through her tragic loss, Anna saw something incredible, the Goodness of God. This was not done by ignoring the pain she felt or pretending it wasn’t there. She saw the Goodness of God by taking her eyes off of herself and her misery and placing them on the Good Counselor. Her God is was and will forever be Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals (Exodus 15:26.) Anna found hope in her God, because He is Jehovah-Jireh (Genesis 22:14,) the Lord who provides, and she knew He would provide a way forward out of her grief and through her pain.
Christmas is a time of celebration; the Messiah has come! However, some of us will be celebrating Jesus’ birth while wrestling through the pain of loss. Let us follow Anna’s example and turn our eyes to the God who loves us deeply. Let us turn to Him as our source of comfort. Let us look to His goodness as we seek reasons to celebrate. Let us trust that our God still heals those whom He loves and continues to provide a way for those who follow Him.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.[f] She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-38
