DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL GUIDE Saturday February 3
WATCH RESTEEM AND FOLLOW
TEXT: Luke 2:36–40
- Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
- and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
- So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
- And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2:36-40 NKJV
Our text is a short impressive profile of a woman who lived over a hundred years. She was married for only seven years and became a widow, dedicated to the service of God, for eighty-four years and literally living in the temple. She came in as Simeon did (v 38), talked to the parents of Jesus and began praising God for the gift of Christ.
God’s marvellous salvation personified in Christ arouses joy, praise and thanksgiving in a believer as exemplified in Simeon and Anna. See also Isaiah 55:12 and Luke 19:37. No wonder a hymn writer exclaimed, “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ears”; ….. “a never failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace.” What is the impact of Christ and His name in your life? Consider also the widow’s life of self-denial committed to praying and fasting. How many are such widows today? Read 1 Cor. 9:27. Galatians 5:24 states that, “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” They live and walk in the Spirit. They are not worldly any more (1 John 2:15 & 16). By Anna’s constant praying and fasting, she was regularly communing with God both for her personal problems and for others. We should learn from her.
Prayer: Father, expose me to spiritual challenges that produce better Christians.