Pastor Lim, Jung Suk (Daegu Pyunggang Church)
As people live their lives, if some kind of crisis comes to them they are usually very frightened.
When this sudden problem happens, even though this is in their reality, there is no choice for them except to accept. And right now it is very difficult for them to accept this difficulty. This really hurts their heart. And most people get past this through steps.
An author named Elizabeth Huber Ross, was a scholar. And for people who live this way and suddenly come into these problems; the way people might react to these problems can cause them to undergo many psychological changes. These are divided into a couple steps.
That is, denial, and anger, hopelessness, and acceptance. They feel depression then challenged then they find reconciliation. Most people when faced with this kind of circumstance are unable to control their emotions. And when this happens they have trouble reasoning with this reality. When these things happen, most people deny it and go right into anger as they live day by day.
But there are a small number of people that when even something difficult or unexpected happens; they are able to see and stay calm. And they find out exactly what the problem is. If these are circumstances beyond their control, and all they can do is accept, even when they really don’t want to, first they will deny, then they will be angry followed by hopelessness and they go through these steps very quickly. These people are very wise.
So if we look this way, there is a hymn, number 487, and the writer of that hymn is J. Scriven.
He was this kind of person. He was engaged to be married and his fiance had died.
He couldn’t even hold his wedding and this tragedy happened just two days before the planned wedding. How much this must have hurt. The worst of it was that this happened to him and all he could do was accept. He couldn’t understand why this had happened to him.
He wanted to deny it, and could not accept it, but at the same time, this was truth. And this happened in his reality. Like most people, he had to go through all these changing emotions. Through these changes he was able to return to being a person of prayer. He became a man of faith. He then wrote this Hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and greifs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.
So, it was not that the problem of his fiance’s dying two days before the wedding. If they had something un expectable happen to both of them, like if he were to die, the psychological changes and the changes of life would be bigger than the ones of before.
If I give you an example, in our history we all know of the prison camp, Auschwitz.
In WWII Hitler had tried to kill off all the Jewish people. So as one of the places to kill them all off he built up the prison camp Auschwitz.
The Jewish people went to this prison and the only reason they went is because they were Jewish. They had taken everything. Their jobs their money, their time and even their freedom. They even took their lives. They took it all from them.
As they were on their way to die, in these difficult circumstances, they had no choice but to accept.
Why are we prisoners? Why did they take away our job, money, time and freedom from our lives?
So most of the Jewish people felt denial and anger. But in their hopelessness in the time they have left for their lives, they lived in very difficult surroundings. There is where they ended their lives.
However, among these people, a small number of them as they were in these terrible circumstances, were able to make it to the step to accept this reality. They were able to carry hope with them and thought of the next step. They stood firmly. And at the end there were survivors.
Among these survivors, there was a man named Victor E. Frank. Psychologically speaking, to those who survived, they had a common distinction about them.
What was this that they all had in common? That in these circumstances all there is left for them to do was to accept them. Their circumstances were not going to change under denial. By continuing on in denial they would end up hurting themselves. So they as quick as possible learned to accept this reality and move on to the next step. Most as they went on, the most important thing to have with them was their hope. their hope of life. These were the people who managed to stay alive.
Then he said a very famous word.
Victor Frank said, “When I became a prisoner the situation was very depressing. but even in these depressed circumstances, if they themselves want, they can have a chance to open up to anyone to be more mature.”
I think this word is really wonderful. The problem is not the life environment or their surroundings, the problem is not their circumstances and the way they live their lives. It is me, it is my attitude on how I react under these circumstances and in this environment.
I will give you one example. Later I will give you a couple more examples, and the reason is, that in today’s scripture the old woman Anna. Anna lived in many difficult circumstances. And how was it that she overcame all these difficulties through her wisdom. I would like to help you understand her and her circumstances.
About 10 years ago, while working in a church there was an old woman elder.
She was a very old woman even at that time 10 years ago. But she was very good at memorizing and reciting scripture. At the church there was a competition for memorization and reciting scripture, and even among the young children and teens she never lost this competition. She won many prizes and she really prayed hard and often. It would not be easy for anyone to follow in her footsteps.
So if we look at how this old elder could memorize scripture and pray so hard and often; if we look into her past, she hadn’t been this way from the beginning. There was some reason or some event that happened to make her try harder at this type of thing. That is as we expected. She had her heart broken in a terrible way some time in her past. This was by her husband. He frequently cheated on his wife. For a long time her husband had been very restless in his family.
This means she was since then she didn’t put any of her hope into this world. Her hope was offered up to heaven. this was the only way she could find to carry on. So was living through only prayer and the word. This was how she was able to memorize the scripture so well and this is how she became such a woman of prayer.
Not too long ago, I may have told you once before, but, one from inside the church made a confession to me.
Pastor, if I didn’t know about Jesus, what would happen to me now? Where would I be?
Maybe if I didn’t believe in God, I might be an alcoholic or have some kind of mental illness. Or I might be a prisoner. But the Lord my God loves me! God does not want me to fail or feel disappointed or depressed. He won’t let me do these things. He saves me in confusing and difficult times. He raises me up in my faith to believe in the Lord. And I am able to depend on the Lord. Now I am not living a very fancy or wealthy life. And even though this, I am able to live a happy life. This is all from the mercy and love of my Lord.
When I heard this confession, I received a very great mercy too. In today’s scripture, we can see the old woman Anna. She was this kind of person.
When she married, after 7 years her husband died and left her as a widow. How did she feel then?
And yes, even today the life of a widow is very difficult but at that time, it had to be much more difficult to be a widow. But she had good control of her mind and was able to walk straight as she lived through her life.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming 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.
The scripture says that she was a widow until she was 84. We are able to think that she was a widow for 84 years, and if we count this way her age would be about 105, but if we see in the NIV bible, she was a widow until she was 84. Which means now she is 84.
Yes, about her age there are two ways to look at it. 105 and 84 but, generally she was married for seven years. She lived with her husband for 7 years. As her husband passed away, and now she is an 84 year old woman. This is the way we understand it.
So, more important than this was how she had been living in these difficulties for 84 years. What do you think?
Someone when they have lost their health they lose faith too.
When they lose their job they lose their faith too.
When they have lost their husband, they lose their faith too.
There are people like this. And some people:
When they lose their health, they receive more faith.
When they lose their job, they receive more faith.
If they have lost their husband, they receive more faith.
There are people like this too. About this, the bible tells us clearly. About this 84 years, the scripture says in verse 37.
and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Looking at this scripture, there were two things for her to keep her on track. First, she never left the temple. and worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
She never left the temple, which means when she lost her husband she wouldn’t stay down in depression. She turned her life to the center of the church.
Yes, of course, before her husband had died, no one knew what her life was about. No one knows if she worshiped night and day. But things that are clear is that she accepted this disaster very calmly. Her life was so suddenly changed by the unexpected death of her husband. Also she turned this confusion into that of faith. She carried on in faith. She transferred the grief to faith. This is where she was very wise.
Maybe first when her husband died, she felt like her whole world had collapsed.
Who would expect a woman married for only seven years would be a widower. But when this comes to oneself as a reality, it is not to fall in front of these circumstances. And she learned the way to live her remaining life, living and only looking up to the Lord.
Job 23:10
10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Even though she lost her husband, she never lost her self. The gladness of this is that she truly met with the wonderful God the almighty god and loving God. And she met with this great god in her difficult circumstances.
So before the main focus of her life was her home. Now the main focus is the church.
And then she worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Let’s look at verse 37
and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
She worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Fasting is to concentrate more on prayer. You do not eat meals. Or to discipline your spirit you might not eat a meal for a certain time. If we see this, that she fasted, we are able to see how her spiritual life must have been. At that time, there were no books in print like today. Printers had not been developed yet and there were not any bibles like we have today.
So without these, for their spiritual way of life the best way was fasting and praying. If we think this way, this old woman Anna, the level of faith in her life was not just that of a general level. Her fasting and prayer were not generally done.
So, one day while living in her faith, when she went to the temple she met the baby Jesus. The scripture is in verse 38.
38Coming 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.
How amazing this was.
And how was she able to feel that she could tell the word.
When she was a widow up to this day, she never left the temple.worshiping night and day and fasting and praying, and now she had received this big mercy.. I think she is full of joy and thanks in her mind.
And yet one more thing of interest and importance. That is in today’s scripture when they introduce Anna, they tell it this way.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
This means, that the scripture says, there was also. here the word also refers to the scripture before. Then they are going to tell us about something else. In front of this it tells of Simeon, and now they are telling us about Anna. Which means at that time, Simeon was righteous and devout. Now, and Also we learn of Anna who is righteous and devout. That is what “also” is referring to.
When we look back to last Sunday, Chapter 2:25-28
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
When this old man Simeon, held the baby Jesus, while doing this and praising god. At that time Anna who was also moved by the spirit arrived at the temple right at that time. There she saw this image. And there she met the baby Jesus.
Actually, in Jerusalem, at that time, there were many old men like Simeon, and there were many babies too. But this old man Simeon was holding the baby and singing praise. What was the meaning of these songs? And what kind of baby was this? There wasn’t anyone who knew. But, this old woman Anna, she knew.
Because she was a prophetess. Here this means people who could understand first what was happening in the world. They understood faster than normal people. These people were like the Prophets of the Old Testament. Actually there were not many Prophets in the New Testament, but this Anna was one of them.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
Now she has completely stepped over her sad past. She is a faithful person. Also she is openly a prophetess in the church community.
Actually, I think she had cried many tears. She had worries and sighs that no one knew of. And there were so many days and so many sleepless nights.
Now she saw the messiah, just like Simeon. She no longer had any wants of the world. She was so truly thankful.
38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God
Most people pray very sincerely about something happening. They pray that everything will work out. When it works out, they are first full of joy and happiness as they give thanks to the lord. Then they are filled with unrest, as they do not know what to do next. But this old woman Anna was not like this at all.
38Coming 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.
Anna never forgot her proper place. which means that she lived just like a prophetess. She had a special power. She never forgot her place or her duty. She was able to go on a straight path even though she was growing old.
So, she spoke about this baby the people who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Here she spoke; she didn’t just speak one time. She continued to speak to them.
Who was she repeating this to? Those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
“Do you know who this child is?” “This baby is for the redemption of Jerusalem, The messiah, The Christ..”
In closing:
Loving Fellow Christians:
Before I close I would like to think about this Anna one more time. This old woman, was what kind of person in the past? And in the middle of her life, something happened to her. then at the end of her life, what kind of person she ended up as.
Maybe when she was a young woman, she was just a normal young woman. In the stories in the bible, there are none that tell of her young times.
Then she met a man she loved. She married and lived together with him for seven years. Then one day, suddenly, and out of her control, she was hit with difficulties. That was the death of her husband... To this woman this was a great difficulty. But to us, this is something like an un controllable disease or a loss of our job, or a death in the family. There are many disasters that could happen. But for her it was the death of her husband..
So here the importance is that she did not fall off. She was not knocked down in front of her difficult circumstances.. She accepted them very calmly and very well. And also, she was able to turn these circumstances towards faith. She was able to change this badness to good.
The only way she was able to do this was after this happened, her life focus was turned to the church. Her first priority became the church. Everything started for the church and for faith first. This was how she started to live her life. And one more thing, she learned the way of living through fasting and prayer.
The result of the way of her life was that she met with Christ. She was person of testimony to Christ.
Loving Fellow Christians:
Who is this old woman Anna? Where is this Anna?
She was 2000 years ago. But, if this scripture were alive and working, even today, Anna that met with Jesus and gave testimony can be I.
As people live their lives, if some kind of crisis comes to them they are usually very frightened.
When this sudden problem happens, even though this is in their reality, there is no choice for them except to accept. And right now it is very difficult for them to accept this difficulty. This really hurts their heart. And most people get past this through steps.
An author named Elizabeth Huber Ross, was a scholar. And for people who live this way and suddenly come into these problems; the way people might react to these problems can cause them to undergo many psychological changes. These are divided into a couple steps.
That is, denial, and anger, hopelessness, and acceptance. They feel depression then challenged then they find reconciliation. Most people when faced with this kind of circumstance are unable to control their emotions. And when this happens they have trouble reasoning with this reality. When these things happen, most people deny it and go right into anger as they live day by day.
But there are a small number of people that when even something difficult or unexpected happens; they are able to see and stay calm. And they find out exactly what the problem is. If these are circumstances beyond their control, and all they can do is accept, even when they really don’t want to, first they will deny, then they will be angry followed by hopelessness and they go through these steps very quickly. These people are very wise.
So if we look this way, there is a hymn, number 487, and the writer of that hymn is J. Scriven.
He was this kind of person. He was engaged to be married and his fiance had died.
He couldn’t even hold his wedding and this tragedy happened just two days before the planned wedding. How much this must have hurt. The worst of it was that this happened to him and all he could do was accept. He couldn’t understand why this had happened to him.
He wanted to deny it, and could not accept it, but at the same time, this was truth. And this happened in his reality. Like most people, he had to go through all these changing emotions. Through these changes he was able to return to being a person of prayer. He became a man of faith. He then wrote this Hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and greifs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.
So, it was not that the problem of his fiance’s dying two days before the wedding. If they had something un expectable happen to both of them, like if he were to die, the psychological changes and the changes of life would be bigger than the ones of before.
If I give you an example, in our history we all know of the prison camp, Auschwitz.
In WWII Hitler had tried to kill off all the Jewish people. So as one of the places to kill them all off he built up the prison camp Auschwitz.
The Jewish people went to this prison and the only reason they went is because they were Jewish. They had taken everything. Their jobs their money, their time and even their freedom. They even took their lives. They took it all from them.
As they were on their way to die, in these difficult circumstances, they had no choice but to accept.
Why are we prisoners? Why did they take away our job, money, time and freedom from our lives?
So most of the Jewish people felt denial and anger. But in their hopelessness in the time they have left for their lives, they lived in very difficult surroundings. There is where they ended their lives.
However, among these people, a small number of them as they were in these terrible circumstances, were able to make it to the step to accept this reality. They were able to carry hope with them and thought of the next step. They stood firmly. And at the end there were survivors.
Among these survivors, there was a man named Victor E. Frank. Psychologically speaking, to those who survived, they had a common distinction about them.
What was this that they all had in common? That in these circumstances all there is left for them to do was to accept them. Their circumstances were not going to change under denial. By continuing on in denial they would end up hurting themselves. So they as quick as possible learned to accept this reality and move on to the next step. Most as they went on, the most important thing to have with them was their hope. their hope of life. These were the people who managed to stay alive.
Then he said a very famous word.
Victor Frank said, “When I became a prisoner the situation was very depressing. but even in these depressed circumstances, if they themselves want, they can have a chance to open up to anyone to be more mature.”
I think this word is really wonderful. The problem is not the life environment or their surroundings, the problem is not their circumstances and the way they live their lives. It is me, it is my attitude on how I react under these circumstances and in this environment.
I will give you one example. Later I will give you a couple more examples, and the reason is, that in today’s scripture the old woman Anna. Anna lived in many difficult circumstances. And how was it that she overcame all these difficulties through her wisdom. I would like to help you understand her and her circumstances.
About 10 years ago, while working in a church there was an old woman elder.
She was a very old woman even at that time 10 years ago. But she was very good at memorizing and reciting scripture. At the church there was a competition for memorization and reciting scripture, and even among the young children and teens she never lost this competition. She won many prizes and she really prayed hard and often. It would not be easy for anyone to follow in her footsteps.
So if we look at how this old elder could memorize scripture and pray so hard and often; if we look into her past, she hadn’t been this way from the beginning. There was some reason or some event that happened to make her try harder at this type of thing. That is as we expected. She had her heart broken in a terrible way some time in her past. This was by her husband. He frequently cheated on his wife. For a long time her husband had been very restless in his family.
This means she was since then she didn’t put any of her hope into this world. Her hope was offered up to heaven. this was the only way she could find to carry on. So was living through only prayer and the word. This was how she was able to memorize the scripture so well and this is how she became such a woman of prayer.
Not too long ago, I may have told you once before, but, one from inside the church made a confession to me.
Pastor, if I didn’t know about Jesus, what would happen to me now? Where would I be?
Maybe if I didn’t believe in God, I might be an alcoholic or have some kind of mental illness. Or I might be a prisoner. But the Lord my God loves me! God does not want me to fail or feel disappointed or depressed. He won’t let me do these things. He saves me in confusing and difficult times. He raises me up in my faith to believe in the Lord. And I am able to depend on the Lord. Now I am not living a very fancy or wealthy life. And even though this, I am able to live a happy life. This is all from the mercy and love of my Lord.
When I heard this confession, I received a very great mercy too. In today’s scripture, we can see the old woman Anna. She was this kind of person.
When she married, after 7 years her husband died and left her as a widow. How did she feel then?
And yes, even today the life of a widow is very difficult but at that time, it had to be much more difficult to be a widow. But she had good control of her mind and was able to walk straight as she lived through her life.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming 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.
The scripture says that she was a widow until she was 84. We are able to think that she was a widow for 84 years, and if we count this way her age would be about 105, but if we see in the NIV bible, she was a widow until she was 84. Which means now she is 84.
Yes, about her age there are two ways to look at it. 105 and 84 but, generally she was married for seven years. She lived with her husband for 7 years. As her husband passed away, and now she is an 84 year old woman. This is the way we understand it.
So, more important than this was how she had been living in these difficulties for 84 years. What do you think?
Someone when they have lost their health they lose faith too.
When they lose their job they lose their faith too.
When they have lost their husband, they lose their faith too.
There are people like this. And some people:
When they lose their health, they receive more faith.
When they lose their job, they receive more faith.
If they have lost their husband, they receive more faith.
There are people like this too. About this, the bible tells us clearly. About this 84 years, the scripture says in verse 37.
and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Looking at this scripture, there were two things for her to keep her on track. First, she never left the temple. and worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
She never left the temple, which means when she lost her husband she wouldn’t stay down in depression. She turned her life to the center of the church.
Yes, of course, before her husband had died, no one knew what her life was about. No one knows if she worshiped night and day. But things that are clear is that she accepted this disaster very calmly. Her life was so suddenly changed by the unexpected death of her husband. Also she turned this confusion into that of faith. She carried on in faith. She transferred the grief to faith. This is where she was very wise.
Maybe first when her husband died, she felt like her whole world had collapsed.
Who would expect a woman married for only seven years would be a widower. But when this comes to oneself as a reality, it is not to fall in front of these circumstances. And she learned the way to live her remaining life, living and only looking up to the Lord.
Job 23:10
10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Even though she lost her husband, she never lost her self. The gladness of this is that she truly met with the wonderful God the almighty god and loving God. And she met with this great god in her difficult circumstances.
So before the main focus of her life was her home. Now the main focus is the church.
And then she worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Let’s look at verse 37
and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
She worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Fasting is to concentrate more on prayer. You do not eat meals. Or to discipline your spirit you might not eat a meal for a certain time. If we see this, that she fasted, we are able to see how her spiritual life must have been. At that time, there were no books in print like today. Printers had not been developed yet and there were not any bibles like we have today.
So without these, for their spiritual way of life the best way was fasting and praying. If we think this way, this old woman Anna, the level of faith in her life was not just that of a general level. Her fasting and prayer were not generally done.
So, one day while living in her faith, when she went to the temple she met the baby Jesus. The scripture is in verse 38.
38Coming 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.
How amazing this was.
And how was she able to feel that she could tell the word.
When she was a widow up to this day, she never left the temple.worshiping night and day and fasting and praying, and now she had received this big mercy.. I think she is full of joy and thanks in her mind.
And yet one more thing of interest and importance. That is in today’s scripture when they introduce Anna, they tell it this way.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
This means, that the scripture says, there was also. here the word also refers to the scripture before. Then they are going to tell us about something else. In front of this it tells of Simeon, and now they are telling us about Anna. Which means at that time, Simeon was righteous and devout. Now, and Also we learn of Anna who is righteous and devout. That is what “also” is referring to.
When we look back to last Sunday, Chapter 2:25-28
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
When this old man Simeon, held the baby Jesus, while doing this and praising god. At that time Anna who was also moved by the spirit arrived at the temple right at that time. There she saw this image. And there she met the baby Jesus.
Actually, in Jerusalem, at that time, there were many old men like Simeon, and there were many babies too. But this old man Simeon was holding the baby and singing praise. What was the meaning of these songs? And what kind of baby was this? There wasn’t anyone who knew. But, this old woman Anna, she knew.
Because she was a prophetess. Here this means people who could understand first what was happening in the world. They understood faster than normal people. These people were like the Prophets of the Old Testament. Actually there were not many Prophets in the New Testament, but this Anna was one of them.
36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
Now she has completely stepped over her sad past. She is a faithful person. Also she is openly a prophetess in the church community.
Actually, I think she had cried many tears. She had worries and sighs that no one knew of. And there were so many days and so many sleepless nights.
Now she saw the messiah, just like Simeon. She no longer had any wants of the world. She was so truly thankful.
38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God
Most people pray very sincerely about something happening. They pray that everything will work out. When it works out, they are first full of joy and happiness as they give thanks to the lord. Then they are filled with unrest, as they do not know what to do next. But this old woman Anna was not like this at all.
38Coming 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.
Anna never forgot her proper place. which means that she lived just like a prophetess. She had a special power. She never forgot her place or her duty. She was able to go on a straight path even though she was growing old.
So, she spoke about this baby the people who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Here she spoke; she didn’t just speak one time. She continued to speak to them.
Who was she repeating this to? Those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
“Do you know who this child is?” “This baby is for the redemption of Jerusalem, The messiah, The Christ..”
In closing:
Loving Fellow Christians:
Before I close I would like to think about this Anna one more time. This old woman, was what kind of person in the past? And in the middle of her life, something happened to her. then at the end of her life, what kind of person she ended up as.
Maybe when she was a young woman, she was just a normal young woman. In the stories in the bible, there are none that tell of her young times.
Then she met a man she loved. She married and lived together with him for seven years. Then one day, suddenly, and out of her control, she was hit with difficulties. That was the death of her husband... To this woman this was a great difficulty. But to us, this is something like an un controllable disease or a loss of our job, or a death in the family. There are many disasters that could happen. But for her it was the death of her husband..
So here the importance is that she did not fall off. She was not knocked down in front of her difficult circumstances.. She accepted them very calmly and very well. And also, she was able to turn these circumstances towards faith. She was able to change this badness to good.
The only way she was able to do this was after this happened, her life focus was turned to the church. Her first priority became the church. Everything started for the church and for faith first. This was how she started to live her life. And one more thing, she learned the way of living through fasting and prayer.
The result of the way of her life was that she met with Christ. She was person of testimony to Christ.
Loving Fellow Christians:
Who is this old woman Anna? Where is this Anna?
She was 2000 years ago. But, if this scripture were alive and working, even today, Anna that met with Jesus and gave testimony can be I.
