"And there was a prophetess, Anna...advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." Luke 2:36-38
Every year nativity scenes and Christmas plays collide with Luke chapter two, but directors rarely know what to do with Simeon and Anna. Their scripts call for a manger scene because Scripture reveals there was no room for Jesus in the inn, but if it will draw a crowd they will squeeze a a camel onto the stage.
Eight days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph brought their infant son to The Temple. The Wise Men were still on the road, and the gifts had not arrived but Simeon and Anna were right on time. The Bible doesn't reveal that they knew one another, but Simeon and Anna were definitely kindred spirits. Each of them had held onto hope in their advanced age, waiting for the coming of The Messiah.
The scene in Luke's account depicts a young couple, a child and two senior adults meeting at the crossroads of obedience to God's Word and reverence for His house. Simeon's blessing and Anna's prophetic word rarely make the director's cut, but they are priceless prose that deserve a second look.
"At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem."
Waiting on God is a difficult lesson to learn, but it is an essential part of the life of a child of God. Anna and Simeon waited on God, and were rewarded with the privilege of seeing what God was doing "at that very moment." God is always at work. Live in The Moment.
Praying and fasting, these two Senior Saints kept their hearts tender to God's touch. Prayer prepared their eyes to see God's hands and fasting inclined their ears to hear His voice. Prayer enabled them to live in The Moment. Prayer encouraged them to receive each moment of waiting, not as a day of delay or a final denial but a step closer to The Deliverer.
To the rest of the world Simeon and Anna must have appeared to be finished, used up, and discarded. Looks can be deceiving. They may have outlived their peers, but they had not outlived their usefulness. Praying people never grow old. They mature. Grow up.
Prayer improves your vision. Look again at these two saints. There was not one moment of their lives that God wasted. Each moment of life God gave them had prepared them for the greatest moment of their lives. When their time came, they were ready for their close up.
“Before we can pray, 'Lord, Thy Kingdom come,' we must be willing to pray, 'My Kingdom go.'”― Alan Redpath
NOTE TO SELF: God can create a convert in a moment, but He chooses to turn a sinner into a saint by converting a life-time of moments into a meaningful life. Prayer will keep your heart tender to God's touch and your ears attentive to His voice. Live in The Moment. Are you ready for your close up?
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!