55. Great Women In The Bible: Why We're Never Done
Episode 55
The prophetess Anna live as an old widow, proclaiming the word of the Lord in the Temple - a job she'd done for decades. I wonder if she felt insignificant or if she doubted if her work even mattered. But she was only one of two people who recognized Jesus as the Messiah as a baby. That's what we are NEVER done. Our long obedience and long faithfulness matter. Besides, we never know when Jesus will show up, and if He does, don't you want to recognize Him?
Show Notes
This is the second in a three-part series about great women in the Bible.
The inspiration for this series is an Ann Voskamp quote:
… every day, with every word, we get to decide: Do we mar the world, or mark the world?
Why in the world disdain the small? It’s always the smallest strokes that add up to the greatest masterpieces.
Because the thing really is: Do we ever really know which mark we make — that will matter the most? The extraordinary things happen nowhere else but in the everyday
Do we ever really know which mark we make — that will matter the most?
Looking at women from scripture because Bible can change us!
The Prophetess Anna
Next woman appears in Luke 2. Do you remember what happens in Luke 2? Jesus is born! It’s the most complete and beautiful telling of the birth story in Scripture. After He is born, His parents take him to the Temple with the prescribed sacrifices.
There they come across a prophetess named Anna. Here’s what we know and can guess about Anna:
She’s a prophetess: words from the Lord
Her family was from the tribe of Asher (Anna is the only member of the tribe that performs notable work in all of Scripture.)
She was “advanced in years” - later learn she is 84. (Moses was 80 when he led people out of Egypt.)
Widowed after only 7 years and had served in Temple ever since
She never left Temple, so most likely did not have children.
Served night and day with fastings and prayers
What happens when she sees Jesus?
She went to Him
Began giving thanks to God
Only she and Simeon saw and proclaimed divinity of Jesus
Continued to speak of Him to all who looked for the redemption of Israel.
Her long faithfulness, and her committed years of praying, fasting, and serving attuned her eyes and understanding.
I WANT TO SEE JESUS WHEN HE SHOWS UP! Even if everyone around me misses Him.
Anna is an amazing example of long faithfulness where she has used her life to serve the Lord. We have the choice how we spend every day.
The small places of faithfulness changes the course of lives.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6: For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Every moment of our quiet stories holds the opportunity to see Jesus and to proclaim Him to a world that desperately needs Him. Then we can live in the light of the knowledge He gives.
Anna was not disqualified:
By age
By having no children
By being a widow
Be being a woman
Her long faithfulness and holding on to truth no matter what went on around her meant she SAW. At the first moment, without miracles or multiplying food to prove it, she SAW WHO Jesus was.
And she proclaimed.
Let’s be women who do the same.
Next week, another great woman, who had all the excuses not to be great, but who in the Lord’s eyes was!