Scripture:
Luke 2:36-40 (English Standard Version)
36And there was(A) a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.[a] She did not depart from the temple,(B) worshiping with(C) fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were(D) waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39And when they had performed everything according to(E) the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of(F) Nazareth. 40(G) And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
Footnotes:
Luke 2:37 Or as a widow for eighty-four years
Cross references:
Luke 2:36 : Exodus 15:20
Luke 2:37 : 1 Tim 5:5
Luke 2:37 : Luke 5:33; Matt 6:16-18; Acts 13:2; 14:23; 2 Cor 6:5; 11:27
Luke 2:38 : Luke 2:25; Luke 1:68
Luke 2:39 : Luke 2:23
Luke 2:39 : Luke 2:4
Luke 2:40 : Luke 1:80
Reflection:
What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. Hope grows with prayer and age. Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she was found daily in the house of the Lord, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about the Lord's promise to send a redeemer. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age. Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age! She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people. How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?
Prayer For The Day:
Lord, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises. Inflame my zeal for your kingdom and increase my love for prayer, that I may never cease to give you praise and worship.
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