Another Praise for God and Jesus

Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.  Luke 2:36-38 

Meditate on worshipping God with fasting and prayer.

 

Waiting. Watching. Wondering. Anna spent her time day and night at the Temple. It must have felt like home to her. Did she have a mat on which to sleep, and what about cooking her food when she wasn’t fasting? Was her lifestyle like that of a homeless person? It doesn’t matter because now she has seen the Savior. Did she get to hold Him as Simeon had? Was she like a grandmother whispering sweet things to the new baby? Precious little one. She praised God.

Asher was one of the sons of Jacob by Leah’s maid Zilpah. Life is complicated. As Jacob was dying and blessing his sons, the tribe of Asher was predicted to produce food fit for a king (Genesis 49:20), indicating that they were farmers. It is also noted that this tribe, along with many others, was a group of strong warriors, fighting as needed for Israel. Anna herself was a prophet. She had been on the lookout for the Messiah for decades—and here He was. She was overjoyed! Do we have that same feeling when we are in the presence of Jesus, whether it is private or public worship? This was another instance of worshipping the Lord Jesus…and God who had fulfilled His promise in sending a Messiah to His people—to all of mankind. Praise God and Jesus!

 

Prayer – Lord God, You had a perfect plan, and some people just didn’t see it. Anna was faithful to You. Help me be like Anna—always looking for opportunities to praise You and to tell others about Jesus.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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