“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
Anna didn’t always do what everyone else did. Every country and generation has its own customs. During that time, it was the custom that a Jewish widow without children would move back into her parents’ house until another man wanted to marry her. But that’s not what Anna did.
Anna was married only seven years when her husband died. Instead of doing what others would’ve done, she moved into the temple in Jerusalem. The Bible says Anna never left the temple. She worshiped God night and day, fasting and praying. Anna was a prophetess.
Made of white marble and decorated in gold, the temple was more like a city than a church. Huge walls surrounded the area, which was about the size of twelve soccer fields. Watchtowers stood at the corners of the wall. Jews and Gentiles came to the temple to pray, to offer sacrifices, to pay their temple tax, and to discuss religious issues with rabbis. This was where Anna lived and served God.
When Anna’s husband died and left her alone, Anna became a woman who talked about the coming Messiah and then about Jesus, the Messiah, to all who would listen. She was a woman who talked to God night and day. Anna lived a life of prayer in an active relationship with God.
Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. It was written in the Law that every firstborn male was to be consecrated to God. Anna was an old lady when Joseph and Mary showed up at Herod’s Temple.
“Jesus.” Anna’s lips trembled with joy as she spoke his name. This was the Messiah she’d been waiting for. Praying for. Talking about. Anna gazed into the tender eyes of the one who came to save her, her people, and the world from sin.
We’re never too young or too old to thank God for his goodness and speak to others about Jesus, God’s holy Son.
Whether bad things happen — like your best friend moves away or your parents get divorced, or good things happen — like you win the state spelling bee or your family takes a dream vacation, you can live like Anna did. You don’t have to live in a church or in a temple, but you can be a girl who prays night and day. You can tell the people around you about Jesus who is Savior to all who believe in him.
More To Explore: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Girl Talk: What is one way you can worship God today?
God Talk: “Lord God, I’m so glad I can talk to you and that you listen to me. Please teach me how to pray more for other people. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
From Real Girls of the Bible by Mona Hodgson