Word of the Day: Prophetess
A woman who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter to whom the will of God is expressed.
Very little is known about this woman from the book of Luke and her name is Anna a very popular name. As described above she was a widow and a prophetess. Her name has the same meaning as the Hanna in the Old Testament which is "grace". Her story is told in only three verses but in those, three verses we will find so much about this lady who is going to help us become a better person in Christ.
Who was Anna?:
#1. Her Family: Her father was Phanuel whose name meant "the face or appearance of God" her father was from the tribe of Asher, a tribe formed by five families. Asher was the son of Leah's maiden and his father was Jacob.
Luke 2:36
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser…
Numbers 26:44-45
Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.
45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
#2. A Widow: Anna had become a widow at such a young age with only seven years of marriage. The Bible does not say who her husband was. What we do know is that she never remarried. This was a lady who wasted no time by showing pettiness to others, she got busy into the Lord's works. She reminds me so much of this widow at church who is very faithful to God and sometimes I get to see her at the supermarket handing out tracts to invite others to church. Although Anna was a widow and old of 85 years, she as Anna keeps herself busy waiting for that moment when the Lord decides to take them home. At this very moment, we are going through a pandemic called Covid-19 which means that she has a higher risk of getting the virus and not survive it. Having such a high risk she still remains faithful to the church services in person. My husband asked her the other day if she was afraid of the virus but she bravely quoted the verse: Philippians 1:21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That requires a lot of faith and trust in the Lord, my respect for widows such as her and Anna.
Luke 2:36-37
…she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years…
#3. She Departed Not From The Temple: Just like mentioned above she kept herself busy in the works of the Lord, meaning that she was no old lady who was going to be in front of the TV watching soap operas. This is a lot already that she is teaching me, she was not only there for services but probably helped with the cleaning of the temple, prayed for the needed ones… I mean we could list so many things that she might have done. We can also assume that she lived there and maybe this was the reason why she did not depart from the temple. If she lived there she must have been someone Godly as the high priest was not going to allow someone to live there with a bad reputation.
Luke 2:37
…which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
#4. She Was a Prophetess: To be called a prophetess means that she must have such knowledge from the God. She was there to counsel the young ladies not as a wife or as a mother but unto the power of God. She was always at the temple day and night, she made herself available to the ones who suffered and needed to hear words of comfort. She was there to remind others about the great God that we have and, in those days, she was there to remind her people about the coming of the Messiah. Anna was always there to remind them that there is hope in Christ no matter what the problem is.
Luke 2:36
And there was one Anna, a prophetess…
#5. She Gave Thanks: When Joseph and Maria brought the baby Jesus to the temple her first reaction was to give thanks to the Lord. She had lived 85 years and had been praying for the birth of the Messiah and God had given her the opportunity to meet Him in the flesh. What a privilege:) This was a lady who was focused on God and not on her circumstance, she would have missed the Messiah if she had been focused on herself.
Luke 2:38
And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord…
#6. She Told Others: Such an event had to be told to others having witnessed the presence of the Messiah. Her great joy and faith made her communicate the miracle and the prophecy that had been fulfilled. Christ did not die just so that we might be saved and not tell others about our redemption, this is something that should be shared with others.
Luke 2:38
…and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Conclusion: I personally don't know what it is to be a widow as I am still married to my wonderful husband and I also don't know who is going to go first to be with the Lord. What I know for sure is that I want to be just like Anna or the widow from church who are always praising God regardless of their circumstance.
*Please let me know if this post has been a blessing to you through a comment, for it would be a blessing for me to know.
have added some verses down below for those who are not sure if heaven is your future home. Please share with me if you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior through this post. I will be happy to rejoice with you!
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:9–13
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