WEEK 2: HANG ON TO HOPE / DAY 14: FAITHFULNESS
By Pastor Courtney Hall (Sat. Dec. 11, 2021)
Most people know the story of the brothers Cain & Abel in Genesis chapter four. “By FAITH Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did….And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead” (Hebrews 11:4). Faith is even stronger than death!
From the faith of Abel at the dawn of humanity to the faith of Zechariah at the dawn of Christ’s coming, we’ve seen FAITH is essential if we are to “never tire of doing what is good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Anna embodied that faith. In Luke chapter two, following Simeon’s prophetic pronouncement in the temple of the infant Jesus as the Messiah, this elderly widow came forward to rejoice over Jesus. Like Elizabeth & Zechariah whom we looked at earlier this week, she’d also experienced hurt in the heart (in her case, the death of her husband after only seven years of marriage), and she was at least eighty-four years old by the time of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:36-37). Like Simeon, she’d also maintained her hope in the Lord into her latter years, having dedicated herself to constant prayer & worship in the temple. And thus she was present the day the Messiah appeared. She hadn’t any more warning than the Scriptures themselves, but she was ready for their fulfillment because she was walking with the Lord.
What a boon to be "in the right place at the right time!” If, like Anna, we've dedicated ourselves in FAITHFULNESS to worship of the Lord, living a life of praise & prayer, walking & serving in the Spirit, then we'll ALWAYS be in the right place at the right time, ready "in season & out" (2 Timothy 4:2) for all that God has promised to do for those who faithfully wait upon Him.
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SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 2:36-38
"There was also a prophet, Anna….She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, & then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night & day, fasting & praying. Coming up to [Joseph, Mary, &the infant Jesus] at that very moment, she gave thanks to God & spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."
