Anna’s name means favor, and it carries the quality of being gracious or compassionate. It took a special kind of woman to give up seeking to have a family, especially during Bible times. In this time period, women were valued by their children. In most cases, they were considered of less value than men.
Luke 2:36 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
Here, we have a woman who was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Aser (Asher). Even though the ten tribes had been long lost, certain families maintained their identity. She was at least 84. We don’t know if the 84 years refers to the time she was a widow or if that was her age. In those days, the typical age for becoming engaged was 13! She lived with her husband for 7 years, adding to the other knowledge of her age she would have been around 104. Most women would have sought to remarry, but she chose to be of service to the Lord. She chose to live at the temple and serve God, and Luke stated that she had not left the temple. This was an emphatic statement, which means it was literal. She lived on the temple grounds. It is thought that because of her devotion to the things of God and her commitment to fasting and praying, that she was provided a small chamber to live in.
The manner of her praying and fasting shows that she was not absorbed with self, but was in the truest sense of the word, a servant of the Most High God!
All her hopes and dreams were full of the long-awaited Messiah. She knew the Old Testament promises and understood that salvation from sin and the future blessings of Israel depended on the coming of the Messiah.
As she passed by, during her daily routine in the temple, she heard Simeon blessing this child, who he recognized as the Messiah. She knew immediately it was the one for which she had waited. We are not told of the conversation between Anna and Simeon, but I’m sure they shared stories of rejoicing as they recounted the events of that day. Finally, their hopes and dreams had come true. I can hear Simeon saying at the top of his voice, “I knew I would see Him,” and Anna taking those old legs and running with excitement to tell everyone she knew that the Messiah was born and she had seen him! (You’ll have to forgive my imagination.)
Anna becomes one of a handful of people who knew and understood the importance of Jesus’ birth. She was a prophetess, which simply meant she was a woman uniquely devoted to declaring the Word of God. She probably had a reputation as a very gifted teacher to women. There is no indication that she had any sort of revelation. Her knowledge of who this baby was becomes evident, as she overheard Simeon. Only five women were ever referred to as prophetess in the Old Testament: Miriam, Moses’ sister (Exodus 15:20); Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah (II Kings 22:14); Noadiah, who was identified as a false prophet (Nehemiah 6:14), and Isaiah’s wife (Isaiah 8:3) identified as a prophetess because she was married to Isaiah. This is a very short list for a very long period of time! Anna was the only one who would see the Christ child.
She was a very passionate woman who was sincere about her walk with the Lord. She apparently had been praying and fasting for a period of at least 64 years. She was known for her prayers and her fasting. I think she had been praying for the needs other women had expressed to her as she taught and prayed with them, but most of all, I think she had been praying for the coming of the Messiah! Now, all those years of praying were being answered. She immediately began to give thanks, and she told everyone who looked for the redeemer in Jerusalem that her one message for the rest of her life was about the long-awaited Messiah. She had to be overjoyed that her prayers were answered.
Luke 2:38 “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
How can we apply the truth about Anna’s life to our own?
- We should be true servants of God. Our lives should be completely devoted to Him. In everything we do, we should have him first and foremost in our minds. Every person we see is a soul Jesus died for; everything we have is a blessing from him, and every opportunity to serve is an opportunity to show him we love him and others that he lives within us.
- She waited and prayed. If we are praying a prayer worth praying, we should not give up. We are to continue to seek and ask until God gives the answer. God wants all men to be saved, and we should never give up praying for the salvation of others. Anna knew the salvation of all humanity rested with the coming of the Messiah; therefore, she never stopped looking and asking. We are to seek the second coming of Jesus! John proclaims this in Revelations 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Do you pray for his coming daily? Do you long to see Him?
- We are to tell others. Anna “spoke of Him to all.” When was the last time you told someone about Jesus? We should be so in tune with Christ that when people see us, the first thing they think about is Him!
What a great example of a godly woman. A servant devoted to Him and Him alone. Oh, to be that kind of servant. It is within our reach, but it depends on our own desires and our will to pursue Him. It is not a secret gift but what God desires of all of us.
