Thoughts for the Day

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Thoughts

I have been putting old sermons from 40 years ago onto the computer, and have noticed enormous changes in the way we write and speak. One such change is the way we used "man" and "mankind" when we mean men and women, But it reminded me of a time when I was chairing meetings and was called "chair". It really irritated me and I would say "I do not have four legs!" The next alteration was to go to "Madam Chairman".

The new Revised Standard Version of our Bible though is quite sure that Anna is a Prophet not a Prophetess, and puts her on a level with all those are other Prophets like Isaiah, Joel, and Micah. She had spent most of her life to the age of eighty-four worshipping God in prayer and fasting in the Temple in Jerusalem. She persevered in her prayers, and in her belief that God would answer them, and with the arrival of Mary and Joseph to carry out their commitments in the Temple with regard to the baby Jesus, she is given a revelation about the child. Her immediate reaction to this news is to praise God and to tell others that this child has come to save them.

We too have an ear to God, but it may mean we have to persevere as well!

Lord God,
as Anna the Prophet persevered
in worship and prayer,
help us to copy her example
and to put our relationship with You
high on our list of priorities.
May we not get tired of praying,
but make it an essential
part of our life to pray
for the needs of the world.
Amen.