36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the
tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven
years from her virginity, 37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She
did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night
and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and
spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39
And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord,
they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child
grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon
him.
Meditation: 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?
"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".