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Bible Reading: Luke 2:21-38
Key Verse: Verse 36 – “And there
was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she
was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity;”
Key Words: And there was one Anna
The name Anna means favor
and grace. We know that Anna was married
for seven years and remained a widow for eighty-four years.
Here are a few
things we know about Anna.
Ø She was a widow of great
age (verse 36).
Ø She was a devout
worshipper of God (verse 37).
Ø She was a person of
fasting and prayer (verse 37).
Ø She was full of prayer and
thanksgiving (verse 38).
No wonder she was given
the name Anna: because of the favor and grace she received from God.
Most of us will never
fully know this side of heaven all that God has done for us, of which we are so
unworthy. The following story
illustrates the point.
Years ago, my father
coached a team of eight-year-olds. He
had a few excellent players, and some who just couldn’t get the hang of the
game. Dad’s team didn’t win once all
season. But in the last inning of the
last game, his team was only down by a run.
There was one boy who had
never been able to hit the ball – or catch it.
With two outs, it was his turn to bat.
He surprised the world and got a single!
The next batter was the team slugger.
Finally, Dad’s players might win a game.
The slugger connected, and as the boy who hit the single ran to second,
he saw the ball coming toward him. Not
so certain of baseball’s rules, he caught it.
Final out! Dad’s team lost! Quickly, my father told his team to
cheer. The boy beamed. It never occurred to him that he lost the
game. All he knew was he had hit the
ball and caught it – both for the first time.
His parents later thanked my dad.
Their child had never even gotten in a game before that season. We never told the boy exactly what
happened. We didn’t want to ruin it for
him. And till this day, I’m proud of
what my father did that afternoon.
~ Quoted by Jeffrey Zaslow in “Tell Me About It,” 1990
So the next time you think of Anna, think of God’s amazing grace and all He’s done for you – things you know He’s done and the things you don’t know as well.
What to do:
✞ Be like Anna, full of
grace and favor.
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