Room for redemption — for all who will listen!
John Povey
January 03, 2026
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Luke 2: 36-40 (NIVUK)
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
What a beautiful little story, weaved into the gospel of Luke, showing the care, value and purpose God has for one without status or power and waiting in hope and expectation.
In prayer we give ourselves to God: our time, our attention, our heart and mind. Anna’s example can help us to understand this. Anna was a godly woman who served God with total devotion, never leaving the temple. As an elderly widow she knew pain and loss, but she had not lost hope, because she was a woman of worship and of prayer.
What do you hope for? Anna was a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfil 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.
Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us disheartened and cynical if we do not have our hope placed wisely. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope.
Anna’s life of prayer enriched her and enabled her to recognise the child of Mary and Joseph as the one Israel had been waiting for. She was immediately motivated to tell others about this child. Whenever we serve God in genuine prayer, it will always flow over into the service of God in others.
Can we be like Anna in the 21st century — sharing the invitation to the table, to redemption, to all who will listen?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to turn down the noise of the world around me, that I may tune into your voice, hearing your call. May I never cease to give you praise and worship and to trust in your promises. Help me, like Anna in the temple, to see what you want me to take notice of today, and to act upon it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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