Bits for Sunday, December 23, 2007

Anna: The Light of Perseverance and Hope

Luke 2:36-38

What a lonely life she must have lived in those last years. Probably most of her friends had passed away. Her own husband was gone – after seven too short years of life together. I doubt a day went by that she didn’t think of him and remember those brief years together and wish for one more opportunity to see him…to be near him…to talk with him.

Eighty four years she had lived on the earth – and for so many of them, her life had been one of solitude. Lots of time…too much, sometimes…alone with her thoughts. Had she questioned why God left her here? What purpose did she serve? Couldn’t He see how lonely she was? How tired? Was she still worth anything?

But what a prayer warrior she was! Night and day she fasted and prayed, never leaving the temple. She watched the people walk in and out of the temple courts – she saw much need. She saw people caught in sin. She saw people stricken with illness. She saw marriages in trouble and rebellious children. She saw true repentance and those who just wanted to buy off a few more days of “righteousness” before they’d have to come back and atone for the same old offense. And, burdened for their lives, she devoted her own life to praying for them.

I wonder if the day felt different to her when she woke up that morning. I wonder if she knew, in her prophetess heart, that something was going to happen that day. Something big. Something life changing. Something amazing.

As she wandered about the temple, praying as she always did, she saw the family. The mother, the father, and the brand new baby. Not an unusual sight – babies came in all the time for the eighth-day circumcision. But this baby drew her in a way the others did not. As she walked closer, she knew. This was the Child. This was the one she had prayed for. This was the one she and all who worshiped with her had longed for…for so many years.

And Anna could not keep quiet. Life’s purpose now spoke loudly. This was why she was still here. This was why God had asked her to endure days of lonely sorrow. This was why she remained when so many had gone on before her. Today, with her own eyes, she saw the Hope she had waited to see so many years. Her perseverance had paid off. Though she might not have known this was God’s reason for leaving her here, she now knew that He had wanted her to see this Child in the flesh.

We don’t always know why God asks of us the things He asks. They seem difficult at the time. They may even seem pointless. But to persevere with hope and great faith will show us that in the end, we are rewarded for our efforts. It will make sense one day. Things will come together and we will see the purpose of God’s plan!