Anna

Luke 2:36-38

Are you an older widow who has seen her better years?
Do memories of long ago often fill your eyes with tears?
Does your heart struggle to rise above an ever-nagging fear
that you are far too old to bless anyone in the now and here?
Have you sat and held a small, wee, babe and thought of days gone by?
Thought about the risks you didn't take and asked you own self: "Why?"
Have you wondered, "Is it too late for God to use a woman such as I".
Then the story of Anna is just for you, to answer your heart's cry.

This study is designed for you to underline the answers as you find them in your Bible. Provision is made for you to choose to fill in the blanks from your Bible on screen. We are simply going to stay in these 3 verses so I will not give references for this study.

Anna was a P She was a W She was very O
When Anna was young she married. After only S years of marriage her H died. Her age at the event recorded was 84.
She never left the T where she W N and D, F and P.
Let us look back over the facts we have found : Knowing the custom of her day it is very likely Anna had lived as a widow about 60 years. When she was widowed she was still young enough to have been married to another but for reasons we will not know she remained a widow. Scripture just read tells us the life she chose. This was a rare choice, indeed we hear of no other, for a young widow of her day and society.
Note:
The picture above is of an 87 year old widow who had been married 47 years. But it is as close as I could come from my resources. The boy child held by her is her granddaughter's grandson (I'll leave the generations for you to figure up).
There will be things about your life that do not exactly fit Anna's profile. We are each unique. But I urge you that if one of her characteristics is also yours consider this: Anna is nowhere recorded of the things she could not do, only the things she did. Likewise you will be remembered for what you did do, not for what you did not.
Anna is hearlded as the first female evangelist. She did not declare Jesus was the Christ, Simeon did that. She did not prepare his way, John did that. She did not give him birth, Mary did that. But this study is most likely the only place you will read about what she did not and that is to highlight this fact:
God has designed each one of us, brought us through this life, and keeps us still for the purpose He has chosen for us. For Anna it is told in verse 38, the last thing we read about her. After giving thanks to God she S about the C to A who were L forward to the R of J.
Write here the last thing you want people to know about you:

Basing your daily habits in God with worship and praise and prayer and fasting as did Anna is a very good place to be when He opens your door of opportunity to serve Him as He has uniquely fitted you. As long as we live it is never too late to be used of the Lord. Only He knows the fullness of your purpose.

Your thoughts, comments or questions:

If more than one email address is on your computer before selecting the send button please enter the email address to which you want Leola to respond.