Gaze Upon Jesus: meet Anna the Prophetess

“Some of the priests called me a prophetess. Others called me aged or even addled. Perhaps they were all right. Perhaps I was all those things.“

I didn’t know either of my grandmas. One died shortly after I was born, the other lived across the country and also died far too young. But if I’d had a grandma, I’d want her to be like Anna the Prophetess.

I loved writing Anna, because she knew what she was waiting for. She wasn’t at all concerned with what people thought of her or who held her in regard–she’d seen enough in her many years to know the opinions of others mattered little. She knew something was coming–the fulfillment of God’s promise to her people–and she was utterly focused on waiting for Him. She prayed, she listened, she trusted. And she waited. And then the Spirit showed her something amazing and unexpected: the coming of the Messiah as tiny, defenseless child in the arms of a poor couple from the country.

As we wait on the coming of Jesus–past, present, and future–let’s try to be a little like Anna. Let go of our concern over what others think of us and our own expectations for what will make us happy. Wait on the Spirit . . . and perhaps this Christmas we will discover something amazing where we least expect it.