In the Presence of Jehovah

Luke 2:36 & 37 "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; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."

Anna is one of my top three favorite women of the Bible (Mary "the mother of Jesus" and Hannah are my others).  I ache to bask in the presence of God just like she did. I spent my lunch hour today in worship and I felt so refreshed and charged, but I craved to spend more time with Him.

I envy Anna. I know if she had not lost her husband she probably would not have had the opportunity to spend night and day praying and fasting. I wouldn't want that to be the case for me at all! But I would love to spend more time with God. Just hours of worship, praying, meditating on Him, seeking Him in His Word. That sounds better than any spa day or island getaway.

As I dig deeper into her heart the first thing I notice is that upon loosing her husband 7 years into her marriage, she ran straight toward God. She knew that was where her comfort was. I am starting into year 7 with my hubby and I can't imagine being left without him. 7 years is such a short time. I admire her for not dwelling in her sorrow and falling into despair or sin.

She not only took refuge in God Himself, but also in the Temple. Her husband must have been the love of her life and I would guess that no one else (but God) could take his place. Also, maybe once her husband died she had nowhere else to go. That may have been the reason she never left the Temple. Her heart belonged to God and her love and she could give it to no one else. I completely get that!

She also gave herself wholly to prayer and fasting. Those two things are the two most powerful weapons in a Christians arsenal. Why did she devote herself so strongly to that? Again, as a woman whose heart is for God and her love I would venture to say it may have helped keep her mind off of loosing her husband. At least at first. Busy her mind with prayer and worship and she won't think about the pain. But I'm sure after 84 years of prayer and fasting it became something she loved to do out of reverence alone and not just to preoccupy her thoughts. 

Anna teaches me discipline. Anna teaches me how to deal with heartache. Anna teaches me a genuine desire for God. She is a woman to look up to. She was a mighty prayer warrior. What an example of a godly woman if there ever was one!