Anna: Every woman is called to serve

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess …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.

And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Luke 2:36-38 [KJV]

Have you ever been surprised by the kind of person God chooses to use? Our church is currently studying the lives of the Apostles, and–let’s admit it–some of those men were not the sort of people you or I would choose for the job. James and John were fishermen not preachers. Matthew was a social outcast. Thomas doubted. Peter thought he knew better than Jesus did. And all of them seemed to have trouble believing Jesus’ words. From our perspective, it’s remarkable that God used such flawed people.

We often have assumptions about who God will or won’t use. Although we may not always say them aloud, we certainly think them. Surely God won’t use that person for anything significant, we think–they are too busy, they’re untrained, have weaknesses, have health issues, a troubled past, are too young, or too old …the list goes on.

But there is no such list in the Bible. God uses the right person for the circumstances, regardless of their background. We see God work through people right across the social spectrum, from kings like Hezekiah and harlots like Rahab; the well-educated Moses to the herdsman Amos; the priest Zacharias and the fisherman Peter. He works through people of all ages, from the youth David to the elderly Anna, who was 84 years old when she met the Lord Jesus.  

Anna’s story has fascinated me recently. Luke wrote of her, “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. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

This is the only record we have of Anna in Scripture. Yet we can learn much from her about how to serve God faithfully. As ‘ordinary’, 21-century women, we aren’t called to preach like Paul or lead armies like Joshua. But Anna’s ministry reminds us that every woman, regardless of her age or circumstances, is called to serve the Lord.

Anna is introduced by Luke as a ‘prophetess’, a female ‘foreteller’ of future events. While the ‘foretelling’ role of a prophet no longer exists, now that we have Christ and the completed Scriptures (Hebrews 1:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), Anna’s title reveals her close relationship with God.

A prophet(ess) was someone God entrusted with a message to share with others. As Christians, we too have been entrusted with a message to share: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). To accurately repeat a message, we must first hear it. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7c). Are we listening to God? Do we prioritise our relationship with God, removing distractions and sins that harden our hearts and grieve the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 59:2, Ephesians 4:30)?

A godly prophet also discerns the true spiritual needs of the people. In the Old Testament, for example, the prophets repeatedly rebuked unbelief and other sin against God. Likewise, we need to be discerning and ask the Lord to show us our own needs, as well as those of family, friends, church attendees, colleagues, children, and people we meet during outreach. Does that person need salvation? Rebuke? Encouragement? What is the heart issue beneath the surface issue?

Prophets also had to know God’s Word. They valued it, read it, and studied it to find God’s will and identify where things had gone astray. Anna “spake of [Christ] to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). Anna recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah because she knew Scripture. Like Philip, who said, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45), Anna could recognise when prophesy was fulfilled because she was familiar with God’s promises. Unless we also know Scripture, we won’t recognise truth and spiritual needs when we see them. We need to love Scripture, search it and apply it – for our own growth and the good of others.

Luke also tells us Anna ‘departed not from the temple’. She was there the day the infant Jesus was brought in because she was there every day. Such was her love for God’s house! We all long to encounter Jesus and hear him speak to us. He can do this anywhere, anytime, but He promises His presence in a very special way when the Saints assemble together: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). God uses the preaching, hymns, prayers, and fellowship with other Christians to speak to us (Hebrews 10:24-25). Imagine if Anna had decided that day that she was too old or didn’t feel like going to the temple–she would have missed encountering Christ. When we neglect the local church fellowship, we miss out. So let’s prioritise church attendance!

Anna “served God with fastings and prayers night and day …and gave thanks likewise unto the Lord”. At this stage of her life, her main ministry was prayer. Maybe it had always been her priority, or perhaps it became more prominent as age and frailty limited other areas of service. Either way, we are all called to serve the Lord in prayer. Paul exhorts us to be “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing”. Prayer is powerful: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b). When we pray according to God’s will, He hears and responds (1 John 5:14-15). Prayer is also accessible: any Christian, any time, can pray. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

We also read that Anna “spake of [Jesus] to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem”. Anna was one at heart with Peter and John who said, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Even their critics recognised the authenticity of their message, admitting that Peter and John must have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Anna’s message had the same authenticity. Her thankfulness overflowed in testimony, and ours should too. Any believer can point a searching heart to Jesus. We don’t need a PhD in Theology, we just need the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit’s enabling, and the knowledge of our own life-changing encounter with Christ. Like the blind man Jesus healed, we too can declare, “one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25b). And, like Anna, we need to not be content with just speaking to one or two in a lifetime, but to share with “all them that looked for redemption”.

Anna’s life reminds us how important it is for women to learn from older godly women, as encouraged in Titus 2:3-5. Older women need to be mature saints who can teach. I am so thankful for women in my life–whether they are a few years or five decades older–who willingly share Scripture, experiences and practical counsel. But younger women must be willing to be taught, and this requires humility. In turn, we need to invest in the lives of other women. That can feel daunting: we can be too wrapped up in our own affairs to notice others’ needs, or over conscious of our inadequacies. Yet if an 84-year-old widow can serve the Lord, what excuse do we have? It’s not about our capability or age, it’s about letting Christ work through us.

I hope learning about Anna has been an encouragement to you today. May the Lord help us to follow her example, and be faithful, servants of the Lord, even serving “God with fastings and prayers night and day”.