This week as I read in the Gospel of Luke, I was captivated by the short, yet impactful, story of Anna. You can look up her story in Luke 2:36-38 (and I encourage you to do that because it’s a wonderful read!), but today I want to highlight 3 key lessons we can learn from this woman of faith.
1. Life’s unexpected turns can lead to new purpose.
Verses 36-37 say, “she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.” (NIV)
Who on their wedding day expects to spend only a handful of years with their spouse and then the rest of their life single? Its heartbreaking.
But Anna’s unexpected bereavement did not upend her life—instead, it led to new purpose.
Verse 37 continues: “She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.”
Do you find yourself suddenly single? Unexpectedly jobless or relocated?
How might the unexpected turns you are facing right now in life lead to a new purpose? And how will you actively choose to serve the Lord in the sometimes-surprising places He puts you?
2. The way we spend our everyday prepares us for mountaintop moments with Jesus.
Anna didn’t wait for a mountaintop experience to begin seeking the Lord. It was likely in the trenches of grief that she began going to the temple every day, fasting, and praying. This became her everyday practice! And it put her in the right place at the right time for the ultimate mountaintop experience of seeing Jesus face to face at his dedication.
Are you waiting to “feel like it” before you start seeking the Lord daily in His Word and in prayer? Don’t wait any longer.
Start today—wherever you are—grieving, depressed, distracted, busy….Start today and make it your everyday. Because then you will be perfectly positioned for special revelations from the Lord. The everyday will lead to significant days.
3. When you encounter Jesus, you can’t keep it to yourself.
Encounters with Jesus naturally lead to praise and proclamation.
Look at verse 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.” (NIV)
Neither guilt nor duty forced Anna into it, but she wanted to tell everyone she encountered about Jesus.
If you struggle to praise or to share the gospel with others, don’t try to motivate yourself with “shoulds.”
Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you afresh—and actively seek after more of Him. Because when we come face to face with our Savior, we can’t help but praise Him and talk about Him.
It is so encouraging to see that no matter how life turns out for us, our God has a grande purpose He wants to accomplish in and through us. May be learn from the life of Anna and live for Him today.
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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