Quick Backdrop:
This devo is the second of a two-part devo exploring two lesser-known people who play a big part in Jesus’ birth, thereby giving us key insight into the nature of Jesus’ life and the reason for His birth. Part One looked at a man named Simeon. Today, we’re looking at a woman named Anna. We pick up the action several days after Jesus’ birth. Mary and Joseph had taken their newborn son to Jerusalem to obey the purification rules of their Jewish heritage (Luke 2:22-24). This is where we bump into Simeon and Anna.
The Word:
Read Luke 2:36-38 from your Bible or print it from a Bible website. As you read, underline everything this passage tells you about a woman named Anna.
The What:
What do you learn about Anna? Look at what you marked, and use these questions to create a profile on Anna. You may want to journal your responses on a separate sheet of paper or type them into a document.
What kind of life did Anna have?
What was her family heritage?
To what was Anna looking forward?
What was she doing to prepare herself for the big thing she was looking anticipating? (You should be able to come up with three activities.)
The So What:
Anna apparently dedicated her life to awaiting the “redemption of Jerusalem,” which is another way of saying she was waiting for the promised Messiah. Luke explains that she was widowed early in life, and she committed her widowhood to worshiping God and watching for the Messiah. This passage gives us a glimpse into the moment when she actually realized she had been anticipating.
How can we be more like Anna? Obviously, we can’t hang out at the church all day, every day, but…there is certainly a mindset to adjust to and some activities we could add to our daily mix, especially with the celebration of Jesus’ birth (the event Anna was looking for) just around the corner.
Seal the Deal:
The three spiritual activities Anna did to prep for Jesus’ arrival were fasting, praying and worshiping. She was not simply expecting Jesus, but was rearranging her life to prepare for His arrival. What can you rearrange in your life—your heart, your mind, your schedule—to prepare for Jesus to do something big?
1. Fast. Pray. Worship.
Follow Anna’s example literally by adding these disciplines to your life during the next few weeks.
Dedicate fasting a meal to this subject: Use the time you would be eating to reading in the New Testament all the big things Jesus did.
Ramp up your prayer life: Allot prayer time to express your desire for Jesus to do big things in your life.
Focus your worship: When you’re in church or worshiping with your youth group, let your worship be driven by the thought that Jesus wants to do something big in your life.
2. Bust the Crust
It’s easy to fall into a busy routine and allow spiritual initiatives (worship, prayer, Bible study) to become meaningless rituals. Evaluate everything you do as a spiritual discipline and infuse it with the energy that comes from expecting Jesus to do something big.
3. Stay Informed
Because Anna knew what to look for, she knew it when she found it. Her anticipation was driven by all that God had said in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. By absorbing God’s Word—Old and New Testaments—we will be more likely to recognize the big things Jesus is doing around us. Rearrange your schedule to ensure that you get some quality time with God’s Word.
Finally, think about doing this: Whenever the subject of the nativity scene comes up, be sure that sweet Anna is represented. Ask something such as, “Isn’t it cool what Anna did?” and let the conversation go from there.
